Online dicing blade composite finishing method and system

Abstract

The invention discloses an on-line type dicing blade composite finishing method and system, which is used for finishing after a dicing blade is changed, and comprises the following steps: S1, after the dicing blade is mounted on a main shaft of a dicing machine, the dicing blade is moved to a mechanical finishing position for concentricity pre-finishing; s2, after concentricity pre-finishing is completed, the scribing knife is moved to an electrolytic finishing position, and the electrolytic finishing position is located at a finishing gap of a conductive metal plate arranged on a working platform of the scribing machine; s3, establishing electric connection between the scribing knife and the conductive metal plate to form an electric loop; s4, direct-current voltage is applied to the electric loop, meanwhile, electrolyte is sprayed to the electrolytic finishing position, and electrolytic finishing is carried out on the dicing blade; and S5, after electrolytic finishing is completed, the dicing blade is made to enter a to-be-cut state. According to the invention, mechanical dressing and electrolytic dressing are continuously completed after the dicing blade is changed, the pre-cutting waiting time is eliminated, and the space is saved, the cost is reduced and seamless integration is realized by utilizing the existing resources of the dicing saw.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor wafer dicing and ultra-precision machining technology, specifically to an online dicing blade composite trimming method and system. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor wafer dicing process, after the dicing blade is mounted onto the dicing machine spindle, an unavoidable slight eccentricity exists between the outer circle of the dicing blade and the spindle's rotation center due to the gap between the blade's inner hole and the spindle, as well as spindle runout. This eccentricity translates into severe vibrations under high-speed rotation, leading to serious defects in the diced wafers, such as edge chipping and inconsistent dicing width, severely impacting chip yield and reliability.

[0003] The current industry standard and only online solution is to use a sharpening plate for mechanical dressing (commonly known as "sharpening"). This solution involves grinding a high-speed rotating dicing blade against a sharpening plate, sacrificing some tool material to correct its outer circular trajectory to be concentric with the spindle rotation center, thus achieving concentricity correction dressing.

[0004] For example, Chinese invention patent application CN 113182947 A discloses a dicing blade trimming process. This process includes: selecting a grinding plate and fixing it on the working disc of a dicing machine; mounting the dicing blade on the spindle of the dicing machine; starting the dicing machine, which controls the dicing blade to cut along a certain length on the surface of the grinding plate to form a first groove; stopping the cutting after cutting a set length and pausing the dicing machine; removing the grinding plate, selecting a silicon wafer, and mounting the silicon wafer in the cutting area of ​​the dicing machine; starting the dicing machine again, which controls the dicing blade to cut along a certain length on the surface of the silicon wafer to form a second groove; stopping the cutting after cutting a set length and pausing the dicing machine. This dicing blade trimming process trims the dicing blade sequentially using the grinding plate and the silicon wafer to reduce the eccentricity of the dicing blade. However, this mechanical trimming method has an inherent defect that has long been ignored or forced into existence: to quickly correct macroscopic geometric eccentricity, a certain depth of cut is required, which is a drastic and non-selective grinding process. While correcting concentricity, this process also severely and excessively wears down the metal binder and diamond particles on the surface of the dicing blade, causing the diamond particles to fall off prematurely. As a result, the diamond particles on the blade surface are not exposed enough, leading to a dull blade after finishing.

[0005] To address the issue of dull cutting edges after mechanical dressing, the industry has adopted a reluctant and inefficient practice: instead of directly cutting product wafers after mechanical dressing, a lengthy and unstable pre-cutting process is required. For example, cutting is performed on a dummy wafer at a feed rate far below normal (e.g., 20%), with the speed gradually increased after every few dozen cuts until the normal cutting speed is reached. This slow, additional material cutting gradually increases the exposure of diamond abrasive grains on the cutting edge surface, thus sharpening the edge. This process typically requires cutting distances of tens or even hundreds of meters, taking ten minutes to half an hour or more, severely slowing down production cycles and consuming a large number of dummy wafers, increasing production costs.

[0006] Furthermore, in the prior art, Chinese utility model patent CN 220300886 U discloses an electrolytic dressing device for ultra-thin diamond dicing blades, comprising: a housing and a blade fixing device; an electrolyte heating tank is provided inside the housing, the electrolyte heating tank is connected to a water pump, the upper outlet of the water pump is connected to the inlet of the electrolytic cell, the electrolytic cell has an outlet connected to the electrolyte heating tank via a pipe, the electrolytic cell has a blade dressing groove, the blade fixing device and the blade fixing cover are fixed to the blade by spindle screws, the blade fixing table is connected to a motor via a spindle, and the motor is fixed to a Z-axis manual lifting platform. Although the above solution uses a non-contact electrolytic dressing device, it is offline, an independent and complex repair workstation, requiring the dull dicing blade to be removed from the dicing machine and fixed to this dedicated device for electrolytic repair. However, this type of offline device has obvious limitations:

[0007] 1) Cannot be used in online production processes: After each mechanical sharpening, the tool needs to be disassembled for offline electrolytic repair, which seriously disrupts continuous production and is not practically feasible.

[0008] 2) The problem of "sharp blade after mechanical repair" remains unresolved: After electrolytic repair, when the blade is reinstalled on the dicing machine, there will be an eccentricity between the outer circle of the blade and the rotating spindle, making further electrolytic repair impossible and making it impossible to achieve both concentricity and sharpness in dicing.

[0009] 3) Complex system and high cost: Setting up complex systems such as electrolyte heating, circulation and temperature control results in high integration costs and makes it difficult to deploy on every dicing machine. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, realize the continuous mechanical trimming and electrolytic sharpening of the dicing blade after blade replacement, eliminate the pre-cutting waiting time, save space and reduce costs by utilizing the existing resources of the dicing machine, achieve seamless integration, and provide an online dicing blade composite trimming method and system.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0012] An online dicing blade composite dressing method is used to perform dressing after dicing blade replacement, comprising the following steps:

[0013] S1: After installing the dicing blade onto the spindle of the dicing machine, move the dicing blade to the mechanical trimming position for concentricity pre-trimming;

[0014] S2: After completing the concentricity pre-adjustment, move the dicing blade to the electrolytic adjustment position, wherein the electrolytic adjustment position is located at the adjustment gap of the conductive metal plate set on the working platform of the dicing machine.

[0015] S3: Establish an electrical connection between the dicing blade and the conductive metal plate to form an electrical circuit;

[0016] S4: Apply DC voltage to the power circuit and spray electrolyte into the electrolytic trimming position to perform electrolytic trimming on the dicing blade;

[0017] S5: After completing the electrolytic trimming, the dicing blade is brought into the cutting state.

[0018] This invention achieves continuous trimming after blade replacement by performing mechanical trimming and electrolytic trimming sequentially on the dicing machine's working platform, eliminating pre-cutting waiting time; it establishes an electrical circuit between the dicing blade and the conductive metal plate and applies DC power to enable the electrolytic circuit to conduct; and it performs online electrolytic trimming by spraying electrolyte onto the electrolytic trimming position; it eliminates the need for pre-cutting and blade removal for electrolysis after mechanical trimming.

[0019] Preferably, in step S1, the mechanical trimming position is located on the grinding plate disposed on the working platform of the dicing machine.

[0020] Preferably, in step S4, a DC voltage is applied using a DC power supply, wherein the positive terminal of the DC power supply is electrically connected to the dicing blade, and the negative terminal is electrically connected to the conductive metal plate.

[0021] Preferably, in step S4, the electrolyte is cutting water containing dissolved carbon dioxide.

[0022] An online dicing blade composite trimming system for performing the method includes:

[0023] The mechanical trimming section, located on the working platform of the dicing machine, is used to pre-trim the concentricity of the dicing blades.

[0024] An electrolytic trimming unit, mounted on the working platform, is used to electrolytically trim the dicing blade.

[0025] The dicing machine spindle and motion module are used to mount the dicing blades and drive them to move and rotate.

[0026] The control unit is electrically connected to the dicing machine spindle and motion module, and is used to coordinate and control the movement of the dicing machine spindle;

[0027] The electrolytic conditioning unit includes:

[0028] A conductive metal plate with slits for finishing;

[0029] A DC power supply, the positive terminal of which is electrically connected to the dicing blade, and the negative terminal of which is electrically connected to the conductive metal plate;

[0030] An electrolyte supply mechanism, with its outlet aligned with the electrolytic trimming position, is used to spray electrolyte onto the position during the electrolytic trimming process.

[0031] Preferably, the dicing machine spindle is provided with a conductive positioning flange, and the dicing blade is mounted on the positioning flange and forms a conductive connection with it.

[0032] Preferably, the electrolytic trimming unit further includes a brush mechanism, and the positive terminal of the DC power supply is electrically connected to the positioning flange through the brush mechanism.

[0033] Preferably, the brush mechanism includes a conductive brush and a brush holder. The conductive brush is movably disposed within the brush holder, and the working surface of the conductive brush maintains sliding contact with the side or end face of the positioning flange. An elastic element is also provided within the brush holder, with one end acting on the brush holder and the other end acting on the conductive brush to press the conductive brush toward the positioning flange. A terminal is connected to the conductive brush, and the terminal is electrically connected to the positive terminal of a DC power supply.

[0034] Preferably, the electrolyte is carbon dioxide cutting water; the electrolyte supply mechanism includes a carbon dioxide foaming machine of a dicing machine and a delivery pipeline, the outlet of the delivery pipeline is located at the electrolysis trimming position, and the carbon dioxide foaming machine is used to dissolve carbon dioxide into the cutting water to obtain the carbon dioxide cutting water.

[0035] Preferably, the conductive metal plate is provided with a variety of trimming slits of different widths.

[0036] This invention achieves continuous composite dressing using both mechanical and electrolytic methods, solving two core problems after the dicing blade is installed. First, mechanical dressing quickly and reliably corrects the macroscopic geometric accuracy (concentricity) of the blade, eliminating eccentric vibration. Then, online electrolytic dressing precisely and non-destructively optimizes the microscopic cutting performance (sharpness) of the blade, fully exposing the diamond abrasive grains. This fundamentally breaks the traditional "sharpen first, then pre-cut" model, achieving a seamless transition from "pre-dressing" to "optimal cutting state," allowing the dicing blade to be immediately put into full-speed product cutting after dressing. Simultaneously, this invention achieves online integration without altering the main structure of the dicing machine. Utilizing the dicing machine's inherent height measurement and kerf calibration functions, it reuses these functions as the precision alignment mechanism required for electrolytic dressing, achieving high-precision electrolytic dressing without the need for any additional, expensive alignment sensors and actuators, greatly reducing system complexity and hardware costs. By setting the electrolytic dressing position adjacent to the traditional grinding plate position, no modification to the dicing machine's working platform is required, resulting in high mechanical integration and convenient installation. Attached Figure Description

[0037] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0038] Figure 1 This is a method block diagram of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the mechanical trimming position and the electrolytic trimming position of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the dicing blade mounting structure of the present invention.

[0041] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0042] 1-Scissors working platform; 2-Grinding blade; 3-Conductive metal plate; 4-Trimming gap; 5-Scissors spindle; 6-Conductive brush; 7-Positioning flange; 8-Scissors blade; 9-Tightening nut. Detailed Implementation

[0043] like Figure 1-3 As shown, the present invention provides an online dicing blade composite trimming method for performing trimming after the dicing blade 8 is replaced, comprising the following steps:

[0044] S1: After installing the dicing blade 8 onto the spindle 5 of the dicing machine, move the dicing blade 8 to the mechanical trimming position for concentricity pre-trimming.

[0045] Specifically, the mechanical trimming position is located on the grinding plate 2 set on the working platform 1 of the dicing machine. The high-speed rotating dicing blade 8 is ground against the grinding plate 2. After a set time (e.g., 80s), the outer circle trajectory of the dicing blade 8 is corrected to be concentric with the rotation center of the dicing machine spindle 5. After the concentricity meets the standard, the concentricity pre-trimming is completed.

[0046] S2: After completing the concentricity pre-adjustment, move the dicing blade 8 to the electrolytic adjustment position, wherein the electrolytic adjustment position is located at the adjustment slit 4 of the conductive metal plate 3 set on the dicing machine working platform 1. In this embodiment, the conductive metal plate 3 is provided with adjustment slits 4 of various widths to adapt to the adjustment needs of dicing blades 8 of different specifications.

[0047] By calling the inherent "height measurement and kerf calibration" program on the dicing machine, the automatic alignment of the dicing blade 8 with the trimming kerf 4 of the conductive metal plate 3 is controlled, and the dicing blade 8 is moved to the center of the kerf, so as to achieve precise movement of the dicing blade 8 by the dicing machine.

[0048] S3: Establish an electrical connection between the dicing blade 8 and the conductive metal plate 3 to form an electrical circuit. In this embodiment, a conductive positioning flange 7 is provided on the dicing machine spindle 5, and the dicing blade 8 is mounted on the positioning flange 7 and forms a conductive connection with it. Specifically, the dicing blade 8 is locked to the mounting shaft of the positioning flange 7 by a tightening nut 9. The positioning flange 7 is conductively connected to the brush mechanism, the terminals of the brush mechanism are used to connect to the positive terminal of the DC power supply, and the conductive metal plate 3 is used to connect to the negative terminal of the DC power supply.

[0049] The brush mechanism includes a conductive brush 6 and a brush holder (not shown in the figure). The conductive brush 6 is movably disposed within the brush holder, and its working surface maintains sliding contact with the side or end face of the positioning flange 7. An elastic element is also provided within the brush holder, with one end acting on the brush holder and the other end acting on the conductive brush 6 to press the conductive brush 6 towards the positioning flange 7. A terminal is connected to the conductive brush 6, and the terminal is electrically connected to the positive terminal of a DC power supply. A constant clamping force is provided to the conductive brush 6 through the elastic element, ensuring stable electrical contact between the conductive brush 6 and the positioning flange 7. The elastic element is one of a helical compression spring, a constant force spring, or a leaf spring.

[0050] S4: Apply DC voltage to the power circuit and spray electrolyte into the electrolytic trimming position to perform electrolytic trimming on the dicing blade 8.

[0051] Specifically, a DC voltage is applied using a DC power supply. The positive terminal of the DC power supply is connected to the terminal block of the brush mechanism. The brush mechanism is electrically connected to the dicing blade 8 via the positioning flange 7. The negative terminal of the DC power supply is electrically connected to the conductive metal plate 3.

[0052] The electrolyte is cutting water containing dissolved carbon dioxide. In this embodiment, the dicing machine is equipped with a carbon dioxide foaming machine and a delivery pipeline. The outlet of the delivery pipeline is located at the electrolysis trimming position. The carbon dioxide foaming machine is used to dissolve carbon dioxide into the cutting water to produce carbon dioxide cutting water. The resistivity of the carbon dioxide cutting water is approximately 0.5 MΩ·cm.

[0053] Carbon dioxide water is weakly acidic (pH≈4.5-5.5), exhibiting extremely weak chemical corrosiveness without electrolysis. It has been extensively and long-term verified by global wafer fabs to be safe and harmless to dicing machines, stainless steel components, and other materials. This invention applies electrolysis only to the slit area of ​​the conductive metal plate (the electrolysis trimming area), preventing corrosion in other areas and eliminating the potential risk of introducing highly corrosive chemicals into precision equipment. Furthermore, dicing machines are currently commonly equipped with carbon dioxide foaming machines to stably supply carbon dioxide cutting water. This invention can directly utilize this water as an electrolyte, fully leveraging existing dicing machine resources and achieving seamless integration at extremely low cost. This ensures a stable, timely, and convenient electrolyte supply, facilitating large-scale technology adoption. Moreover, it eliminates the need for purchasing, storing, and managing special chemicals, reducing additional material costs and preventing the generation of new harmful chemical waste, making it more environmentally friendly.

[0054] After applying DC voltage for a set time (e.g., 10-120 seconds), the online electrolytic trimming is completed, and the dicing blade 8 is sharpened.

[0055] S5: After completing the electrolytic trimming, the dicing blade 8 is put into the cutting state.

[0056] After the electrolytic dressing is completed, the grinding plate 2 and the conductive metal plate 3 are removed and replaced with the wafer to be cut; the "height measurement and kerf calibration" program is called to automatically align the blade of the dicing blade 8 with the wafer cutting track and enter the cutting state. The dicing blade 8 directly starts cutting the wafer product at full speed without any pre-cutting process.

[0057] Compared to traditional trimming methods, in this embodiment, the cycle from blade change to producing qualified products is shortened by about 15 minutes, significantly improving the accuracy and efficiency of dicing blade trimming.

[0058] This invention achieves continuous composite dressing using both mechanical and electrolytic methods, solving two core problems after the dicing blade 8 is installed. First, mechanical dressing quickly and reliably corrects the macroscopic geometric accuracy (concentricity) of the blade, eliminating eccentric vibration. Then, online electrolytic dressing precisely and non-destructively optimizes the microscopic cutting performance (sharpness) of the blade, fully exposing the diamond abrasive grains. This method fundamentally breaks the traditional "sharpen first, then pre-cut" model, achieving a seamless transition from "pre-dressing" to "optimal cutting state," allowing the dicing blade 8 to be immediately put into full-speed product cutting after dressing.

[0059] Meanwhile, this invention achieves online integration without altering the main structure of the dicing machine. It utilizes the machine's inherent height measurement and kerf calibration functions, reusing them as the precision alignment mechanism required for electrolytic trimming, thus achieving high-precision electrolytic trimming. This eliminates the need for any additional, expensive alignment sensors and actuators, significantly reducing system complexity and hardware costs. By placing the electrolytic trimming position adjacent to the traditional grinding plate 2, no modification to the dicing machine's working platform 1 is required, resulting in high mechanical integration and convenient installation.

[0060] In summary, this invention, through ingenious process combination and system integration strategy, successfully and seamlessly integrates the highly efficient electrolytic trimming technology into the semiconductor mass production environment at extremely low modification costs, ultimately achieving a leapfrog improvement in production efficiency and a significant optimization of overall equipment efficiency.

[0061] The present invention also provides an online dicing blade composite trimming system for performing the above-described method, comprising:

[0062] The mechanical trimming section, located on the working platform of the dicing machine, is used to pre-trim the concentricity of the dicing blade 8.

[0063] An electrolytic trimming unit, located on the work platform, is used to electrolytically trim the dicing blade 8.

[0064] The dicing machine spindle and motion module are used to mount the dicing blade 8 and drive it to move and rotate.

[0065] The control unit is electrically connected to the dicing machine spindle and motion module, and is used to coordinate and control the movement of the dicing machine spindle 5;

[0066] The electrolytic conditioning unit includes:

[0067] The conductive metal plate 3 has a slit for trimming;

[0068] A DC power supply, the positive terminal of which is electrically connected to the dicing blade 8, and the negative terminal of which is electrically connected to the conductive metal plate 3;

[0069] The electrolyte supply mechanism has its outlet aligned with the electrolysis trimming position and is used to spray electrolyte onto that position during the electrolysis trimming process.

[0070] The mechanical trimming part is the grinding plate 2.

[0071] The dicing machine spindle 5 is equipped with a conductive positioning flange 7, and the dicing blade 8 is mounted on the positioning flange 7 and forms a conductive connection with it.

[0072] The electrolytic trimming unit also includes a brush mechanism, through which the positive terminal of the DC power supply is electrically connected to the positioning flange 7.

[0073] The electrolyte is carbon dioxide cutting water; the electrolyte supply mechanism includes a carbon dioxide foaming machine of the dicing machine and a delivery pipeline. The outlet of the delivery pipeline is located at the electrolysis trimming position. The carbon dioxide foaming machine is used to dissolve carbon dioxide into the cutting water to produce carbon dioxide cutting water.

[0074] The conductive metal plate 3 is provided with various trimming slits 4 of different widths to accommodate the trimming needs of different sizes of dicing blades 8.

[0075] The implementation method of the system of the present invention refers to the above-described online dicing blade composite trimming method, and will not be repeated here.

[0076] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. An in-line dicing blade compound dressing method for performing dressing after a dicing blade change, characterized by, The method comprises the following steps: S1: after installing the scribe blade to the main shaft of the scribe machine, moving the scribe blade to a mechanical trimming position for pre-trimming of concentricity; S2: after completing the pre-trimming of concentricity, moving the scribe blade to an electrolytic trimming position, wherein the electrolytic trimming position is located at a trimming gap of a conductive metal plate arranged on the working platform of the scribe machine; S3: establishing an electrical connection between the scribe blade and the conductive metal plate to form an electrical circuit; S4: applying a direct current voltage to the electrical circuit, and spraying electrolyte to the electrolytic trimming position, to perform electrolytic trimming on the scribe blade; S5: after completing the electrolytic trimming, making the scribe blade enter a state of waiting for cutting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, In step S1, the mechanical trimming position is located on a grinding plate arranged on the working platform of the scribe machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, In step S4, the direct current voltage is applied by a direct current power supply, the positive pole of the direct current power supply is electrically connected with the scribe blade, and the negative pole is electrically connected with the conductive metal plate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, In step S4, the electrolyte is cutting water with dissolved carbon dioxide.

5. An in-line dicing blade compound dressing system for performing the method of any one of claims 1-4, characterized by, The method comprises the following steps: A mechanical trimming part is arranged on the working platform of the scribe machine, and is used for pre-trimming of concentricity of the scribe blade; An electrolytic trimming unit is arranged on the working platform, and is used for electrolytic trimming of the scribe blade; A main shaft and a movement module of the scribe machine are used for installing and moving and rotating the scribe blade; A control unit is electrically connected with the main shaft and the movement module of the scribe machine, and is used for coordinating and controlling the action of the main shaft of the scribe machine; The electrolytic trimming unit comprises: A conductive metal plate has a gap for trimming; A direct current power supply has a positive pole electrically connected with the scribe blade, and a negative pole electrically connected with the conductive metal plate; An electrolyte supply mechanism has a liquid outlet aligned with the electrolytic trimming position, and is used for spraying electrolyte to the position during electrolytic trimming.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein, A conductive positioning flange is arranged on the main shaft of the scribe machine, the scribe blade is installed on the positioning flange and forms a conductive connection with the positioning flange.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein, The electrolytic trimming unit further comprises a brush mechanism, the positive pole of the direct current power supply is electrically connected with the positioning flange through the brush mechanism.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein, The brush mechanism comprises a conductive brush and a brush holder, the conductive brush is movably arranged in the brush holder, a working surface of the conductive brush is in sliding contact with a side surface or an end surface of the positioning flange, a resilient element is further arranged in the brush holder, one end of the resilient element acts on the brush holder, and the other end acts on the conductive brush to press the conductive brush towards the positioning flange, and a wiring terminal is connected with the conductive brush, and the wiring terminal is electrically connected with the positive pole of the direct current power supply.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein, The electrolyte is carbon dioxide cutting water, the electrolyte supply mechanism comprises a carbon dioxide foaming machine and a delivery pipeline of the scribe machine, an outlet of the delivery pipeline is arranged at the electrolytic trimming position, and the carbon dioxide foaming machine is used for dissolving carbon dioxide into cutting water to prepare the carbon dioxide cutting water.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein, The conductive metal plate is provided with trimming gaps of different widths.

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