Processing equipment

Abstract

A processing device is provided, which can determine whether there are chips in each layer stored in a box and whether the chips are properly pulled out after being clamped, and can hold the chips in an appropriate position. The conveying unit of the processing device includes a clamping part for clamping the workpiece and a conveying arm that can move the clamping part in the height direction and the forward and backward direction relative to the box. The clamping part includes a supporting part for supporting the lower surface of the workpiece, a pressing part that contacts the upper surface of the workpiece and clamps the workpiece between the supporting part, and a driving unit that causes the supporting part and the pressing part to move relatively away from and close to each other. The conveying unit also includes a light reflection type sensor, which is fixed to the clamping part and is arranged at the same height as the height when the clamping part clamps the workpiece, and irradiates light toward the workpiece stored in the box.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing device. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in processing equipment for semiconductor wafers, wafers are removed from a cassette one by one, housed in a frame unit in which the wafers are integrated with a ring-shaped frame by means of a dicing tape. In such processing equipment, a transfer arm for extracting wafers from the cassette sometimes utilizes a clamping unit that grips the wafers and a push-pull arm that enables the clamping unit to move forward and backward, as well as vertically. The clamping unit vertically moves an upper pressing portion relative to a lower supporting portion, and a sensor detects the movement of the pressing portion to detect whether the wafer is being held.

[0003] In another configuration, in a processing device that unloads wafers one by one from a cassette, a photosensor is provided at a position facing the cassette to detect whether wafers are currently stored in each layer of the cassette (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-204020

[0005] In processing equipment that uses a sensor to detect whether a wafer is being held by sensing the amount of movement of a pressing portion, when holding a thin wafer, the gap between the pressing portion and the support portion is very narrow, sometimes leading to erroneous detection that the wafer is not being held. To address this issue, there are methods that increase the size of the non-contact arm or the holding portion that holds the wafer and use suction to hold the wafer from below, but this increases costs.

[0006] In addition, depending on the wafer, it is sometimes desirable to extract the wafer without contacting the device area. However, if the wafer is shallowly inserted into the cassette, the clamping portion may contact the device area. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus capable of determining the presence or absence of wafers in each layer stored in a cassette and determining whether the wafers have been properly withdrawn after being clamped, thereby holding the wafers in a proper position.

[0008] According to the present invention, a processing device is provided, wherein the processing device comprises: a holding worktable for holding a workpiece; a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the holding worktable; a box provided on the box table for storing a plurality of workpieces; a conveying unit configured to be inserted into the box and to carry the workpieces in and out of the box; and a control unit for controlling the holding worktable, the processing unit, and the conveying unit, wherein the conveying unit comprises: a clamping portion for clamping the workpiece; and a conveying arm. , which can move the clamping part in the height direction and the forward and backward direction relative to the box, and the clamping part includes: a supporting part, which supports the lower surface of the workpiece; a pressing part, which contacts the upper surface of the workpiece and clamps the workpiece between the supporting part; and a driving unit, which makes the supporting part and the pressing part relatively move away from and close to each other, and the conveying unit includes a light reflection type sensor, which is fixed to the clamping part and is arranged at the same height as the height when the clamping part clamps the workpiece, and irradiates light toward the workpiece stored in the box.

[0009] According to this structure, a processing device can be provided, which can determine whether there are chips in each layer stored in the box and whether the chips are properly pulled out after being clamped, based on the detection results of a light reflection sensor, so as to hold the chips in the appropriate position.

[0010] The cassette preferably includes a pair of opposing side walls; a bottom surface connecting the side walls; and a plurality of pairs of shelves protruding inward from the pair of opposing side walls, each of which carries a workpiece. The light reflection sensor moves up and down as the clamping portion moves, irradiating light onto the workpieces stored on each shelf of the cassette. The control unit includes a presence determination unit that determines that there are no workpieces on the shelf when the reflected light is below a set threshold. This configuration provides a processing device that can easily determine the presence or absence of wafers stored in each layer within the cassette based on the detection results of the light reflection sensor.

[0011] The control unit preferably includes: a clamping light quantity recording unit that records the amount of reflected light when the clamping unit clamps the workpiece housed in the cassette; a withdrawal light quantity recording unit that records the amount of reflected light when the clamping unit is moved away from the cassette to withdraw the workpiece from the cassette; and a withdrawal determination unit that determines that the workpiece has not been properly withdrawn if the difference between the light quantities recorded by the clamping light quantity recording unit and the withdrawal light quantity recording unit exceeds a threshold value. This configuration provides a processing apparatus that can easily determine whether a wafer has been properly withdrawn after being clamped, based on detection results from a light reflection sensor.

[0012] The control unit preferably includes: an allowable range recording unit that records the correlation between the length of the workpiece inserted into the clamping unit when the support unit and the pressing unit are separated and the amount of reflected light corresponding to each length, and records the range of the reflected light amount corresponding to the allowable length as the allowable range; and an advance / retract control unit that advances and retracts the clamping unit so that the range of the reflected light amount falls within the allowable range when the workpiece is loaded or unloaded into the cassette. With this configuration, a processing apparatus can be provided that can hold a wafer in an appropriate position (e.g., only the outer edge) based on the detection results of the light reflection sensor.

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to determine whether or not wafers are stored in each layer in the cassette and whether or not the wafers are appropriately pulled out after being clamped, thereby enabling only the outer edges of the wafers to be held. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration example of the cutting device according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 It is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a configuration example of a cutting device according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a front view of the clamping portion of the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 4 It is a top view of the clamping portion of the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 5 It is a side view of the clamping portion of the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a side view showing an example of a clamping state of the clamping portion according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 7 This is a schematic side view showing an outline of the detection operation of the first embodiment.

[0021] Figure 8 It is a side view schematically showing the outline of the workpiece extraction determination operation according to the first embodiment.

[0022] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the separation distance and the amount of reflected light in the first embodiment.

[0023] Figure 10 This is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the cutting device according to the first embodiment.

[0024] Figure 11This is a diagram showing a cutting device according to the first embodiment. Figure 10 A flowchart of an example of the processing of the flowchart.

[0025] Figure 12 It is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a cutting device according to a second embodiment.

[0026] Figure 13 This is a perspective view showing an example of a workpiece according to the second embodiment.

[0027] Figure 14 It is a side view of the clamping portion of the second embodiment.

[0028] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the tip end portion of the clamping portion and the end portion of the workpiece according to the second embodiment.

[0029] Figure 16 This is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the insertion distance of the clamping portion and the amount of reflected light in the second embodiment.

[0030] Figure 17 This is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the cutting device according to the second embodiment.

[0031] Label Description

[0032] 1-1, 1-2: Cutting device; 10: Chuck table; 20: Cutting unit; 21: Cutting tool; 30: Cassette; 41: Transport unit; 50: Cleaning unit; 100: Workpiece; 101: Scribing tape; 102: Ring frame; 103: Front surface; 104: Frame unit; 110: Holding table; 120: Cutting unit; 130: Cassette; 140: Package unloading unit; 150: Package transport unit; 160: Imaging unit; 170: Cleaning unit; 180: Drying unit; 190: Storage tray loading section; 200: Workpiece; 201: Frame substrate; 202: Bump; 203: Predetermined dividing line; 2 04: device chip; 411: clamping part; 412: conveying arm; 421: supporting part; 422: pressing part; 423: driving unit; 424: light reflection type sensor; 1000: control unit; 1001: presence / absence judgment part; 1002: clamping light quantity recording part; 1003: extraction light quantity recording part; 1004: extraction judgment part; 1005: allowable range recording part; 1006: advance / retract control part; 1110: conveying unit; 1120: tray imaging unit; 1141: clamping part; 1142: conveying arm; 1421: supporting part; 1422: pressing part; 1423: driving unit; 1424: light reflection type sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiments. In addition, the constituent elements described below include those that can be easily imagined by those skilled in the art, or substantially the same contents. In addition, the structures described below may be appropriately combined. In addition, various omissions, replacements, or changes in the structure may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0034] In the following embodiments, an XYZ rectangular coordinate system is used to describe the positional relationships of various components. A direction within a horizontal plane is defined as the X-axis direction, a direction perpendicular to the X-axis within the horizontal plane is defined as the Y-axis direction, and a direction perpendicular to both the X-axis and the Y-axis directions is defined as the Z-axis direction. The XY plane, which contains the X and Y axes, is parallel to the horizontal plane. The Z-axis, which is perpendicular to the XY plane, is the vertical direction.

[0035] (First embodiment)

[0036] Figure 1 It is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration example of the cutting device according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 It is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a configuration example of a cutting device according to the first embodiment. Figure 3 It is a front view of the clamping portion of the first embodiment. Figure 4 It is a top view of the clamping portion of the first embodiment. Figure 5 It is a side view of the clamping portion of the first embodiment.

[0037] The cutting device 1-1 (an example of a machining device) of the embodiment includes: a cutting unit 20 (an example of a machining unit) having a cutting tool 21; and a chuck table 10 for machining a workpiece 100 ( Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the workpiece 100 is held and the cutting unit 20 and the chuck table 10 are moved relative to each other to perform cutting processing on the workpiece 100.

[0038] The cutting device 1-1 also includes a cassette 30 for storing a workpiece 100 before and after cutting, a temporary placement unit 40 for temporarily placing the workpiece 100 before and after cutting, a cleaning unit 50 for cleaning the workpiece W after cutting, and a control unit 1000. The cutting device 1-1 also includes an X-axis moving mechanism (not shown) for relatively moving the chuck table 10 and the cutting unit 20 in the X-axis direction, a Y-axis moving mechanism (not shown) for relatively moving the chuck table 10 and the cutting unit 20 in the Y-axis direction, and a Z-axis moving mechanism (not shown) for relatively moving the chuck table 10 and the cutting unit 20 in the Z-axis direction.

[0039] Here, the workpiece 100 is a plate-shaped object to be processed by the cutting device 1-1. In the first embodiment, the workpiece 100 is, for example, a semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer, which has a plurality of devices divided by predetermined dividing lines perpendicular to each other. The cutting device 1-1 moves the chuck table 10 and the cutting unit 20 having the cutting tool 21 relative to each other to perform cutting processing on the predetermined dividing lines, thereby dividing the workpiece 100 into individual device chips. In addition, in the first embodiment, Figure 2 The workpiece 100 shown in the figure forms a frame unit 104 held inside an annular frame 102 by means of a dicing tape 101. The dicing tape 101 is attached to the back surface of the workpiece 100, which is opposite to the front surface 103 on which the device is formed, and is also attached to the annular frame 102 surrounding the workpiece 100.

[0040] A cassette 30 (an example of a cassette) is placed on a cassette table 29 that is configured to be freely raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction, and stores a plurality of workpieces 100. The cassette 30 is provided with a pair of opposing side walls 31, a bottom surface 32 connecting the side walls 31, and a pair of shelves 33 (multi-layer) protruding inward from the side walls 31 to place the workpieces 100. The temporary placement unit 40 takes out a workpiece 100 before cutting from the cassette 30 and stores the workpiece 100 after cutting in the cassette 30. The temporary placement unit 40 is configured to include: a conveying unit 41 that allows the workpiece 100 to enter and exit relative to the cassette 30; and a pair of rails 42 that temporarily place the workpiece 100.

[0041] The transport unit 41 includes a gripper 411 that grips the workpiece 100 and a transport arm 412 that can move the gripper 411 in a height direction (Z-axis direction) and in an advance / retract direction (Y-axis direction) relative to the cassette 30 .

[0042] The clamping unit 411 includes a support portion 421, a pressing portion 422, and a drive unit 423. The support portion 421 supports the lower surface (back surface) of the workpiece 100 (frame unit 104). The pressing portion 422 contacts the upper surface (front surface 103) of the workpiece 100, thereby clamping the workpiece 100 between the support portion 421 and the pressing portion 422. The drive unit 423 moves the support portion 421 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), causing the support portion 421 and the pressing portion 422 to move relatively away from and toward each other.

[0043] like Figure 3As shown, the transport unit 41 has a light reflection type sensor 424, which is fixed to the clamping part 411 and is arranged at the same height as the height when the clamping part 411 clamps the workpiece 100, and irradiates light toward the workpiece 100 stored in the box 30. In this embodiment, the light reflection type sensor 424 is fixed to a part of the clamping part 411 that is not moved by the drive unit 423. The light reflection type sensor 424 has an optical sensor that irradiates light and a light receiving part that receives the reflected light of the irradiated light. The light irradiated from the light reflection type sensor 424 is reflected from, for example, the side surface (workpiece edge) of the annular frame 102 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and detected by the light receiving part. In addition, the light irradiated from the light reflection type sensor 424 can not only irradiate the side surface (workpiece edge) of the annular frame 102, but also can be widened and irradiate the periphery of the side surface (workpiece edge).

[0044] Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing an example of the clamping state of the clamping portion of the first embodiment. The control unit 1000 directly monitors (detects) the workpiece 100 through the light reflection type sensor 424. Figure 6 As shown, the clamping unit 411, under the control of the control unit 1000, relatively approaches the support portion 421 and the pressing portion 422 via the drive unit 423, thereby clamping the workpiece 100 (frame unit 104) housed in the cassette 30. In this way, the control unit 1000 can directly monitor (detect) the workpiece 100 using the light reflection sensor 424 and clamp the workpiece 100 using the clamping unit 411.

[0045] The chuck table 10 holds a workpiece 100 attached to the opening of the annular frame 102 by means of a dicing tape 101. The workpiece 100 is the workpiece 100 on the track 42 of the temporary storage unit 40 before cutting and is transported by the transport unit 81. The chuck table 10 is disc-shaped, and the surface portion of the chuck table 10 is formed of porous ceramics, etc. It is connected to a vacuum suction source (not shown) via a vacuum suction path (not shown) and holds the workpiece W placed on the surface by suction. In addition, the chuck table 10 is configured to be movable in the X-axis direction by an X-axis moving mechanism, and is configured to be rotatable around a central axis (parallel to the Z-axis) by a rotation drive source (not shown).

[0046] The cutting unit 20 performs cutting processing on the workpiece 100 held by the chuck table 10. The cutting unit 20 is provided so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction relative to the workpiece 100 held by the chuck table 10 by a Y-axis movement mechanism, and is also provided so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction by a Z-axis movement mechanism. The cutting unit 20 includes a cutting tool 21, which is an extremely thin cutting tool having a substantially annular shape. The cutting tool 21 is rotated by a spindle (not shown) to perform cutting processing on the workpiece 100.

[0047] The cleaning unit 50 cleans the workpiece 100 that has been cut by the cutting unit 20. The cleaning unit 50 has a rotary table 51 and a cleaning nozzle (not shown). The rotary table 51 holds the workpiece 100 after cutting. The workpiece 100 after cutting is transported from the chuck table 10 by the transport unit 82. The rotary table 51 is disc-shaped, and the portion constituting the surface of the rotary table 51 is formed of porous ceramics, etc. It is connected to a vacuum suction source (not shown) via a vacuum suction path (not shown) and holds the workpiece 100 placed on the surface by suction. The rotary table 51 rotates around the central axis (parallel to the Z axis) by the rotational force generated by the rotary table drive source (not shown). The cleaning nozzle provides cleaning liquid to the front 103 of the workpiece 100 held by the rotary table 51.

[0048] The control unit 1000 (an example of a data processing unit) controls each of the aforementioned components (each mechanism) of the cutting device 1-1, thereby causing the cutting device 1-1 to perform cutting processing on the workpiece 100. The control unit 1000 is configured to include, for example, a processing unit such as a CPU or MPU, and a storage device such as a ROM or RAM. The control unit 1000 is connected to a touch panel or the like, which has a display unit and an operating unit (not shown) used by the operator to register processing details and the like.

[0049] The control unit 1000 of the first embodiment includes a presence / absence determination unit 1001, a clamping light quantity recording unit 1002, an extraction light quantity recording unit 1003, and an extraction determination unit 1004. These units execute the various processes of the cutting device 1-1 of the first embodiment described below. Each unit of the control unit 1000 is implemented, for example, by functions provided by a program stored in a storage device. Specifically, each unit of the control unit 1000 is implemented by a processing unit using a RAM or the like as a work area and executing a program stored in the storage device.

[0050] (Workpiece detection action)

[0051] The detection operation of the workpiece 100 according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the detection operation according to the first embodiment. Figure 7 This is a side view showing the positional relationship between the cassette 30 and the clamping portion 411. Hereinafter, the workpiece 100 may be referred to as the frame unit 104, or the frame unit 104 may be referred to as the workpiece 100.

[0052] First, the cassette table 29 carrying the cassette 30 is raised to a predetermined position. The presence / absence determination unit 1001 of the control unit 1000 drives the transport arm 412 to move the clamping unit 411 horizontally (in the Y-axis direction) (ST1) and to position the cassette 30 at a predetermined position. Next, the presence / absence determination unit 1001 drives the transport arm 412 to move the clamping unit 411 vertically upward (in the Z-axis direction) (ST2) and simultaneously drives the light reflection sensor 424 to irradiate light toward the cassette 30. The light reflection sensor 424 moves up and down as the clamping unit 411 moves, irradiating light toward the frame unit 104 of each shelf 33 housing the cassette 30.

[0053] If the reflected light level is lower than a set threshold, the presence determination unit 1001 determines that there is no workpiece 100 on the shelf 33. Specifically, the presence determination unit 1001 moves the clamping unit 411 vertically upward while acquiring the amount of reflected light detected by the light receiving portion of the light reflection sensor 424 and compares the acquired amount of reflected light with a set threshold. Once the clamping unit 411 reaches the upper portion of the cassette 30, the presence determination unit 1001 determines that the workpiece 100 (frame unit 104) is stored in the cassette 30 at the level where the reflected light level exceeds the set threshold.

[0054] (Workpiece extraction judgment action)

[0055] The extraction determination operation of the workpiece 100 according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 8 This is a diagram schematically showing the outline of the workpiece extraction determination operation according to the first embodiment. Figure 8 The positional relationship between the cassette and the clamping portion is shown as viewed from the side. Figure 9 This is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the separation distance and the amount of reflected light in the first embodiment.

[0056] First, the gripping light quantity recording unit 1002 of the control unit 1000 drives the transport arm 412, irradiating light from the light reflection sensor 424 while moving the gripping unit 411 to a position capable of gripping the frame unit 104 (workpiece 100). The gripping light quantity recording unit 1002 then records the amount of reflected light while the gripping unit 411 grips the frame unit 104 housed in the cassette 30 (ST11). The following description will refer to the amount of reflected light while the gripping unit 411 grips the frame unit 104 as the amount of reflected light when the distance from the frame unit 104 is "0 (zero)."

[0057] The extraction light quantity recording unit 1003 of the control unit 1000 records the amount of reflected light at the stage where the clamping unit 411 is moved away from the cassette 30 in order to extract the frame unit 104 (the workpiece 100) from the cassette 30 (ST12). For example, the extraction light quantity recording unit 1003 records the amount of reflected light at the stage where the clamping unit 411 is moved a distance D1 in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction), starting from the stage where the frame unit 104 is clamped. In the following description, the amount of reflected light at the stage where the frame unit 104 is clamped and moved a distance D1 in the horizontal direction may be referred to as the amount of reflected light when the distance "D1" is removed from the frame unit 104.

[0058] The extraction judgment unit 1004 of the control unit 1000 judges that the frame unit 104 (workpiece 100) has not been properly extracted when the difference in the light quantity recorded by the clamping light quantity recording unit 1002 and the extraction light quantity recording unit 1003 exceeds a threshold value. That is, at the stage after the frame unit 104 is extracted, when the frame unit 104 is properly clamped by the clamping unit 411, the light irradiated from the light reflection type sensor 424 will continue to be reflected from the side surface (edge ​​of the workpiece) in the vertical direction of the annular frame 102. Therefore, if Figure 9 As shown, it is assumed that the amount of reflected light detected by the light reflection sensor 424 is substantially constant. On the other hand, after the frame unit 104 is pulled out, if the frame unit 104 is not properly held, such as by falling off the clamping portion 411, the light emitted from the light reflection sensor 424 will not be reflected by obstacles such as the ring frame 102. Therefore, it is assumed that the amount of reflected light detected by the light reflection sensor 424 decreases.

[0059] Therefore, if Figure 9 As shown, the extraction determination unit 1004 calculates the light quantity difference ΔR between the amount of reflected light α when the frame unit 104 is separated by a distance of "0" and the amount of reflected light β when the frame unit 104 is separated by a distance of "D1". If the light quantity difference ΔR exceeds a predetermined threshold, the extraction determination unit 1004 determines that the frame unit 104 (workpiece 100) has not been properly extracted.

[0060] use Figure 10 and Figure 11 , an example of processing by the cutting device 1 - 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 10 and Figure 11 This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the cutting device 1 - 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 10 and Figure 11 The processing by the cutting device 1 - 1 shown is executed by each unit included in the control unit 1000 .

[0061] (Whether there is judgment processing)

[0062] like Figure 10 As shown, after the presence determination unit 1001 positions the clamping unit 411 close to the cartridge 30 to a predetermined position, it starts irradiating light from the light reflection sensor 424 while moving the clamping unit 411 vertically upward (step S101).

[0063] Next, the presence determination unit 1001 obtains the amount of reflected light detected by the light reflection sensor 424 (step S102) and records the number of the shelf 33 of the cassette 30 where the amount of reflected light exceeds a predetermined threshold (step S103). In other words, the presence determination unit 1001 determines that the workpiece 100 is stored in the shelf 33 of the cassette 30 where the amount of reflected light exceeds the predetermined threshold.

[0064] The presence / absence determination unit 1001 determines whether the upper portion of the box 30 has been reached (step S104). If the presence / absence determination unit 1001 determines that the upper portion of the box 30 has not been reached (step S104; No), the process returns to the above-mentioned step S102. On the contrary, if the presence / absence determination unit 1001 determines that the upper portion of the box 30 has been reached (step S104; Yes), the process ends. Figure 10 The processing shown.

[0065] (Extraction judgment processing)

[0066] like Figure 11 As shown, the clamping light amount recording section 1002 records the reflected light amount α when the frame unit 104 is clamped (step S201 ).

[0067] The extracted light amount recording unit 1003 records the reflected light amount β when the distance between the frame unit 104 and the cassette 30 reaches a predetermined distance (step S202 ).

[0068] The extraction determination unit 1004 calculates the light amount difference ΔR between the reflected light amount α and the reflected light amount β (step S203 ).

[0069] The extraction determination unit 1004 determines whether the light amount difference ΔR exceeds a predetermined threshold value (step S204 ).

[0070] When the extraction determination unit 1004 determines that the light quantity difference ΔR exceeds the predetermined threshold value (step S204; Yes), it determines that the frame unit 104 is not properly extracted (step S205), and ends the process. Figure 11 The processing shown.

[0071] On the other hand, when the extraction determination unit 1004 determines that the light amount difference ΔR does not exceed the predetermined threshold value (step S204; No), it determines that the frame unit 104 has been properly extracted (step S206), and ends the process. Figure 11 The processing shown.

[0072] In the cutting device 1-1 (an example of a processing device) of the first embodiment, the conveying unit 41 has a light reflection type sensor 424. The light reflection type sensor 424 is fixed to the clamping part 411. The position of the light reflection type sensor 424 is adjusted when it is fixed to the clamping part 411 so that it becomes the same height as the height when the clamping part 411 clamps the workpiece 100. The light reflection type sensor 424 irradiates light toward the workpiece 100 stored in the box 30. Thus, for example, the following cutting device 1-1 can be provided, which can determine whether there are workpieces 100 in each layer stored in the box 30 and whether the workpiece 100 has been properly pulled out after being clamped, based on the detection results of one light reflection type sensor 424.

[0073] In addition, in the cutting device 1-1 (an example of a processing device) of the first embodiment, the control unit 1000 (an example of a data processing unit) includes a presence determination unit 1001. When the reflected light is lower than a set threshold value, the presence determination unit 1001 determines that there is no workpiece 100 on the shelf (e.g., shelf 33). Thus, it is possible to provide the cutting device 1-1 that can easily determine the presence or absence of the workpiece 100 stored on each layer (e.g., shelf 33) in the cassette 30 based on the detection results of the light reflection sensor 424.

[0074] In the cutting device 1-1 (an example of a machining device) according to the first embodiment, the control unit 1000 (an example of a data processing unit) includes a clamping light quantity recording unit 1002, an extraction light quantity recording unit 1003, and an extraction determination unit 1004. The clamping light quantity recording unit 1002 records the amount of reflected light when the clamping unit 411 is clamping the workpiece 100 stored in the cassette 30. The extraction light quantity recording unit 1003 records the amount of reflected light when the clamping unit 411 is moved away from the cassette 30 to extract the workpiece 100 from the cassette 30. The extraction determination unit 1004 determines that the workpiece 100 has not been properly extracted if the difference between the light quantities recorded by the clamping light quantity recording unit 1002 and the extraction light quantity recording unit 1003 exceeds a threshold value. Thus, it is possible to provide the cutting apparatus 1 - 1 that can easily determine whether the workpiece 100 has been appropriately extracted after being clamped, based on the detection result of the light reflection sensor 424 .

[0075] (Second embodiment)

[0076] In the following second embodiment, the operation of the cutting device 1 - 2 that cuts a package substrate will be described. Figure 12 It is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a cutting device according to a second embodiment. Figure 13 This is a perspective view showing an example of a workpiece according to the second embodiment. Figure 14 It is a side view of the clamping portion of the second embodiment.

[0077] Figure 12 The cutting device 1-2 (an example of a processing device) shown is a Figure 13 The device for cutting the workpiece 200 shown in FIG. Figure 13 As shown, the workpiece 200 is formed into a rectangular flat plate in plan view. Figure 13 The workpiece 200 shown is a so-called package substrate, and is formed by mounting and bonding a plurality of semiconductor chips to a frame substrate 201 such as a lead frame, and then sealing the semiconductor chips with resin.

[0078] The electrodes of each semiconductor chip are connected to a plurality of bumps 202. A plurality of predetermined dividing lines 203 are formed in a grid pattern on the front surface of the workpiece 200, and semiconductor chips are mounted in each area divided by the predetermined dividing lines 203. Figure 12 The cutting device 1 - 2 shown cuts along the planned dividing lines 203 to divide the substrate into individual device chips (equivalent to chips) 204 .

[0079] Figure 12The illustrated cutting device 1 - 2 includes a holding table 110 , a cutting unit 120 , and a control unit 1000 .

[0080] The holding table 110 has a rectangular holding surface 111 for holding the workpiece 200. The holding surface 111 is provided with a suction port (not shown) for sucking the workpiece 200 and the device chip 204, and a relief groove (not shown) for withdrawing the cutting tool 21. The suction port is provided at a position overlapping the device chip 204 and opens into the holding surface 111. The relief groove is provided at a position corresponding to the planned dividing line 203 and is recessed from the holding surface 111.

[0081] The suction port of the holding table 110 is connected to a vacuum suction source (not shown), and the vacuum suction source sucks the suction port, thereby sucking and holding the workpiece 200 on the holding surface 111. In addition, the holding table 110 is provided so as to be movable in the X-axis direction by a processing feed unit (not shown) and to be rotatable around an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction by a rotation drive source (not shown).

[0082] The cutting unit 120 (an example of a machining unit) cuts the workpiece 200 held by the holding table 110 along the planned dividing line 203 using a cutting tool 121. The cutting unit 120 includes a spindle (not shown) to which the cutting tool 121 is mounted for cutting the workpiece 200 held by the holding table 110.

[0083] The cutting tool 121 is a thin, roughly annular cutting tool. The spindle rotates the cutting tool 121, thereby cutting the workpiece 200. The spindle is housed in a spindle housing 122. The axes of the spindle of the cutting unit 120 and the cutting tool 121 are set parallel to the Y-axis direction.

[0084] The cutting unit 120 is configured to be movable in the Y-axis direction relative to the workpiece 200 held by the holding table 110 via an indexing feed unit (not shown), and is also configured to be movable in the Z-axis direction via a plunge feed unit (not shown). The cutting unit 120 can position the cutting tool 121 at any position on the holding surface 111 of the holding table 110 via the indexing feed unit and the plunge feed unit. The cutting unit 120 moves in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions via the indexing feed unit and the plunge feed unit, thereby cutting the workpiece 200 along the predetermined dividing line 203 held by the holding table 110, which moves in the X-axis direction, and thereby dividing the workpiece 200 into a plurality of device chips 204.

[0085] in addition, Figure 12The cutting device 1 - 2 shown includes a cassette 130 , a package unloading unit 140 , a package conveying unit 150 , an imaging unit 160 , a cleaning unit 170 , a drying unit 180 , and a storage tray placement unit 190 .

[0086] A cassette 130 (an example of a cassette) stores a plurality of workpieces 200 before processing. The cassette 130 stacks the workpieces 200 at intervals in the Z-axis direction. The cassette 130 has an opening 131 that allows the workpieces 200 to be freely inserted and removed. The cassette 130 is arranged so that it can be freely raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction by a cassette elevator (not shown).

[0087] The packaging unloading unit 140 includes: an unloading unit 141 (an example of a conveying unit) that can take out the workpieces 200 before processing from the box 130 one by one; and a pair of rails 142 that temporarily place the workpieces 200 taken out from the box 130. The unloading unit 141 has the same structure as the conveying unit 41 of the first embodiment. Figure 14 As shown, the unloading unit 141 includes a clamping portion 1141 (an example of a clamping portion) and a transport arm 1142 (an example of a transport arm). The clamping portion 1141 includes a support portion 1421, a pressing portion 1422, and a drive unit 1423. Furthermore, the unloading unit 141 includes a light reflection sensor 1424, which is fixed to the clamping portion 1411 and is located at the same height as the clamping portion 1411 when clamping the workpiece 200. The light reflection sensor 1424 irradiates light toward the workpiece 200 stored in the cassette 130. In the first and second embodiments, the position of the light reflection type sensor (424, 1424) is adjusted so as to be at the same height as the height when the clamping portion (411, 1141) clamps the workpiece (100, 200). This height corresponds to the height between the support portion (421, 1421) and the pressing portion (422, 1422). The position of the pressing portion (422, 1422) changes depending on the clamped workpiece (100, 200). Therefore, the same height as the height when the clamping portion (411, 1141) clamps the workpiece 200 refers to the position (height) at which light is irradiated onto the workpiece (100, 200) supported by the support portion (421, 1421) with reference to the support portion (421, 1421). In addition, the light reflection type sensor (424, 1424) may have a mechanism that can adjust the position and area of ​​irradiated light.

[0088] The package transfer unit 150 transfers the pre-processed workpiece 200 removed from the cassette 130 to the holding table 110. The imaging unit 160 captures the pre-processed workpiece 200 to obtain an image for alignment. The cleaning unit 170 cleans the lower surface of each of the separated device chips 204. The drying unit 180 dries the device chips 204 cleaned by the cleaning unit 170. The storage tray loading unit 190 loads a storage tray (not shown).

[0089] in addition, Figure 12 The cutting device 1 - 2 shown includes a conveying unit 1110 and a tray imaging unit 1120 .

[0090] The conveying unit 1110 conveys the cut workpiece 200, i.e., the plurality of device chips 204, from the holding table 110 to a storage tray (not shown). The conveying unit 1110 includes a first conveying unit 1111, a second conveying unit 1112, and a third conveying unit 1113. The first conveying unit 1111 conveys the cut workpiece 200, i.e., the plurality of device chips 204, from the holding table 110 to the cleaning unit 170. The second conveying unit 1112 conveys the cleaned workpiece 200, i.e., the plurality of device chips 204, from the cleaning unit 170 to the drying unit 180. The third conveying unit 1113 conveys the dried workpiece 200, i.e., the plurality of device chips 204, from the drying unit 180 to a storage tray (not shown) placed on one upper surface 191 of the storage tray placement portion 190.

[0091] The tray imaging unit 1120 captures an image of a storage tray (not shown) placed on the upper surface 191 of the storage tray placement portion 190 before the workpiece 200 is stored, thereby acquiring an image of the storage tray (not shown).

[0092] in addition, Figure 12 The cutting apparatus 1-2 shown includes a control unit 1000. The control unit 1000 of the second embodiment includes an allowable range recording unit 1005 and an advance / retract control unit 1006, and the various processes of the cutting apparatus 1-2 of the second embodiment described below are executed by these units.

[0093] For example, when the workpiece 200 is carried in and out of the box 130 ( Figure 13), in order to prevent damage to the device chip 204, etc., it is necessary to prevent the clamping portion 1141 from contacting the device chip 204. Therefore, the allowable range recording unit 1005 records the correlation between the lengths of the workpiece 200 inserted into the clamping portion 1141 when the support portion 1421 and the pressing portion 1422 are separated and the amount of reflected light corresponding to each length. The allowable range recording unit 1005 records, as an allowable range, the range of reflected light amounts corresponding to the allowable lengths of the workpiece 200 inserted into the clamping portion 1141, so that the clamping portion 1141 does not contact the device chip 204 when the clamping portion 1141 clamps the workpiece 200.

[0094] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the tip end portion of the clamping portion and the end portion of the workpiece according to the second embodiment. Figure 16 This is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the insertion distance of the clamping portion and the amount of reflected light according to a modified example.

[0095] like Figure 15 As shown, the transport arm 1143 is moved to sandwich the workpiece 200 between the support portion 1421 and the pressing portion 1422, and the workpiece 200 is inserted into the clamping portion 1141. Figure 15 The range from the position 200P1 of the workpiece 200 to the position 200P2 that does not reach the device chip 204 is the length allowed as the length for inserting the workpiece 200 into the clamping portion 1141. In this case, Figure 16 As shown, the insertion length D from the clamping portion 1141 11 To insertion length D 12 The range of the amount of reflected light corresponding to the insertion length (R2 < amount of reflected light < R1) is measured in advance as the allowable range and recorded in advance in the allowable range recording unit 1005. The insertion length D11 represents the insertion length when the front end portion 1141E of the clamping portion 1141 reaches the position 200P1 of the workpiece 200. 12 The insertion length when the front end portion 1141E of the clamping portion 1141 reaches the position 200P2 of the workpiece 200 corresponds to the distance between the front end portion 1141E of the clamping portion 1141 and the end portion 200E of the workpiece 200. Figure 16 The corresponding relationship shown in FIG. 1 can be used to determine whether the insertion length D of the clamping portion 1141 is within the range of the reflected light amount detected by the light reflection sensor 1424. 11 To insertion length D 12 within the range.

[0096] The advance / retract control unit 1006 controls the advance / retract movement of the clamping unit 1141 so that the range of the reflected light amount detected by the light reflection sensor 1424 falls within the permissible range recorded by the permissible range recording unit 1005 when the workpiece 200 is carried in or out of the cassette 130. Thus, the advance / retract control unit 1006 can clamp the workpiece 200 at a position where it is not in contact with the device chip 204 when the workpiece 200 is carried in or out of the cassette 130. That is, the control of the advance / retract control unit 1006 allows the clamping unit 1141 to clamp the workpiece 200 at a position that is within the permissible insertion length D. 11 ~D 12 The range corresponds to the range from position 200P1 to position 200P2 of the workpiece 200.

[0097] use Figure 17 , an example of processing by the cutting device 1-2 according to the second embodiment is described. Figure 17 This is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the cutting device according to the second embodiment. Figure 17 The processing by the cutting device 1 - 2 shown is an example of the advance and retreat control of the clamping unit 1141 executed by the advance and retreat control unit 1006 .

[0098] like Figure 17 As shown, the advance / retract control unit 1006 controls the transport arm 1143 to position the clamping unit 1141 at a predetermined clamping start position (step S301). The advance / retract control unit 1006 positions the clamping unit 1141 at a predetermined distance from the cassette 130, for example, at a height equal to the number of shelves of the cassette 130 that is determined to contain the workpiece 200.

[0099] Next, the advance / retreat control unit 1006 moves the clamping unit 1141 while irradiating light from the light reflection sensor 1424 (step S302 ), and acquires the amount of reflected light detected by the light reflection sensor 1424 (step S303 ).

[0100] Next, the advance and retreat control unit 1006 determines whether the amount of reflected light acquired in step S303 is within the allowable range recorded in the allowable range recording unit 1005 (step S304 ).

[0101] When the forward / backward control unit 1006 determines that the amount of reflected light acquired in step S303 is within the allowable range (step S304 ; Yes), it stops the movement of the clamping unit 1141 (step S305 ).

[0102] Then, the advance and retreat control unit 1006 clamps the workpiece 200 by the support unit 1421 and the pressing unit 1422 of the clamping unit 1141 (step S306), and the process ends. Figure 17 The processing shown.

[0103] In step S304 , when the advance / retreat control unit 1006 determines that the reflected light amount acquired in step S303 is not within the allowable range recorded in the allowable range recording unit 1005 (step S304 ; No), the process returns to step S303 .

[0104] In the cutting device 1-2 (an example of a processing device) of the second embodiment, the control unit 1000 (an example of a data processing unit) includes an allowable range recording unit 1005 and an advance / retract control unit 1006. The allowable range recording unit 1005 records the correlation between the lengths of the workpiece 200 inserted into the clamping unit 1141 when the support unit 1421 and the pressing unit 1422 are separated and the amount of reflected light corresponding to each length. Specifically, the allowable range recording unit 1005 records, as the allowable range, the range of reflected light amounts corresponding to the allowable lengths of the workpiece 200 inserted into the clamping unit 1141, so that the clamping unit 1141 does not contact the semiconductor chip when the clamping unit 1141 clamps the workpiece 200. When the workpiece 200 is loaded or unloaded into or out of the cassette 130, the advance / retract control unit 1006 controls the advance / retract of the clamping unit 1141 so that the range of the reflected light amount detected by the light reflection type sensor 1424 falls within the allowable range recorded by the allowable range recording unit 1005. Thus, for example, a cutting device 1-2 can be provided that can hold the workpiece 200 in an appropriate position based on the detection results of a single light reflection type sensor 1424.

[0105] Furthermore, the processing of the control unit 1000 (the allowable range recording unit 1005 and the advance / retract control unit 1006) of the cutting device 1-2 according to the second embodiment can also be similarly applied to the case of holding the annular frame 102 of the frame unit 104 according to the first embodiment in an appropriate position.

[0106] (Modification of the embodiment)

[0107] In the second embodiment described above, an example was described in which the advance / retract control unit 1006 controls the advance / retract movement of the clamping unit 1141 based on the amount of reflected light detected by the light reflection sensor 1424. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the advance / retract movement of the clamping unit 1141 may be controlled based on the distance between the clamping unit 1141 and the workpiece 200. The cutting device 1-2 includes a distance measuring sensor in place of the light reflection sensor 1424, and the advance / retract control unit 1006 pre-measures the permissible distance between the clamping unit 1141 and the workpiece 200, corresponding to the range of the permissible insertion length of the clamping unit 1141. Furthermore, the advance / retract control unit 1006 can control the advance / retract movement of the clamping unit 1141 based on whether the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor is within the permissible distance range.

[0108] (Other embodiments)

[0109] The processing device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment of the cutting devices 1-1 and 1-2 described as an example of the processing device, and various modifications can be made and implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the processing device of the present invention can be a laser processing device or a grinding device as long as it clamps and carries out the workpiece of a disk or plate.

[0110] In addition, the components of the cutting devices 1-1 and 1-2 described as an example of a processing device in the above embodiment are functional components and do not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown in the figure. That is, the specific method of distributing and integrating the cutting devices 1-1 and 1-2 is not limited to the method shown in the figure. All or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in arbitrary units according to various loads or usage conditions. The control unit 1000 can appropriately distribute or integrate the above-mentioned parts according to the content of the processing of each part of the control unit 1000. For example, the allowable range recording unit 1005 can be installed in the cutting device 1-2 in a state of being functionally or physically distributed from the control unit 1000.

Claims

1. A processing device, wherein: The processing device has: A holding table for holding the workpiece; a processing unit for processing a workpiece held by the holding table; A box is provided on the box table to store a plurality of workpieces; A transport unit is configured to be inserted into the box and transport the workpiece in and out of the box; as well as a control unit that controls the holding table, the processing unit, and the transport unit, The transport unit includes: a clamping portion for clamping a workpiece; and The transport arm can move the clamping portion in the height direction and in the forward and backward direction relative to the box, The clamping portion comprises: a supporting portion that supports the lower surface of the workpiece; a pressing portion, which contacts the upper surface of the workpiece and clamps the workpiece between the pressing portion and the supporting portion; as well as a driving unit that moves the support portion and the pressing portion relatively away from and closer to each other, The transport unit includes a light reflection type sensor fixed to the clamping portion and arranged at the same height as the height of the clamping portion when clamping the workpiece, and irradiating light toward the workpiece stored in the box. The control unit contains: a clamping light amount recording section that records the amount of reflected light at a stage where the clamping section clamps the workpiece housed in the box; an extraction light quantity recording unit for recording the amount of reflected light at a stage when the clamping unit is moved away from the box in order to extract the workpiece from the box; as well as An extraction judgment unit judges that the workpiece has not been properly extracted when the difference between the light amounts recorded by the clamping light amount recording unit and the extraction light amount recording unit exceeds a threshold value, and judges that the workpiece has been properly extracted when the difference between the light amounts recorded by the clamping light amount recording unit and the extraction light amount recording unit does not exceed a threshold value.

2. A processing device, wherein: The processing device has: A holding table for holding the workpiece; a processing unit for processing a workpiece held by the holding table; A box is provided on the box table to store a plurality of workpieces; A transport unit is configured to be inserted into the box and transport the workpiece in and out of the box; as well as a control unit that controls the holding table, the processing unit, and the transport unit, The transport unit includes: a clamping portion for clamping a workpiece; and The transport arm can move the clamping portion in the height direction and in the forward and backward direction relative to the box, The clamping portion comprises: a supporting portion that supports the lower surface of the workpiece; a pressing portion, which contacts the upper surface of the workpiece and clamps the workpiece between the pressing portion and the supporting portion; as well as a driving unit that moves the support portion and the pressing portion relatively away from and closer to each other, The transport unit includes a light reflection type sensor fixed to the clamping portion and arranged at the same height as the height of the clamping portion when clamping the workpiece, and irradiating light toward the workpiece stored in the box. The control unit contains: an allowable range recording portion for recording a correlation between a length of the workpiece inserted into the clamping portion when the support portion and the pressing portion are separated and an amount of reflected light corresponding to each length, the allowable range recording portion recording a range of the amount of reflected light corresponding to each allowable length so that the clamping portion does not contact a device chip of the workpiece when clamping the workpiece as an allowable range; as well as The advance and retreat control section advances and retreats the clamping section so that the range of the reflected light amount falls within the allowable range when the workpiece is carried in or out of the cassette.

3. The processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The box contains: a pair of opposing side walls; a bottom surface connecting the side walls; and A plurality of pairs of shelves protrude inward from the pair of opposing side walls and are respectively provided with workpieces. The light reflection type sensor moves up and down as the clamping portion moves, and irradiates light to the workpieces stored on the shelves of the box. The control unit includes a presence / absence determination unit configured to determine that there is no workpiece on the shelf when the reflected light is lower than a set threshold value.

Images