Wafer trimming device, wafer processing equipment and wafer processing method
The wafer trimming device, designed with dual stages and dual longitudinal tracks, enables simultaneous inspection and trimming, solving the problems of low efficiency and insufficient precision in existing technologies, improving processing efficiency and yield, and reducing manufacturing costs.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-24
AI Technical Summary
Existing wafer trimming machines have only one cutting station, and the trimming components and inspection mechanisms cannot be operated simultaneously, resulting in low processing efficiency and affecting inspection accuracy, posing a risk of cracks and fragmentation.
The design employs a dual-stage platform and dual-longitudinal track to achieve simultaneous inspection and trimming. Independent inspection mechanisms and trimming components are set up in sections on the upstream and downstream sides of the crossbeam, adding a longitudinal track and a platform to realize dual working lines, reducing cooling water and chip splashing, and improving inspection accuracy and cutting efficiency.
It improves the processing efficiency of the wafer trimming device, reduces stage waiting time and tool wheel idle time, increases processing efficiency per unit area, enhances inspection accuracy and yield, and reduces manufacturing costs.
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Figure CN121729009A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor wafer processing technology, specifically to a wafer trimming device, wafer processing equipment, and processing method. Background Technology
[0002] With the rapid development of 3D IC (3D IC) technology, multi-wafer stacking processes place extremely high demands on the flatness of wafer edges. When adjacent wafers are stacked, burrs, protrusions, or other defects at the edges can lead to loose bonding at the bonding interface, resulting in stress concentration during subsequent grinding and thinning processes. This can cause cracks or fragmentation, severely reducing product yield. Therefore, wafer trimming, a critical process before stacking, requires specialized equipment to grind the wafer edges into ring-shaped steps of a specific depth to ensure the reliability of the stacking process.
[0003] The current trimming machine only includes one cutting station. The trimming components and inspection mechanism are mounted on a vertical moving axis. Cutting and inspection cannot be carried out simultaneously, which affects the machine's WPH (Wafer Per Hour). Summary of the Invention
[0004] This application provides a wafer trimming apparatus and wafer processing equipment to solve or alleviate at least one of the problems mentioned above.
[0005] According to one aspect of this application, a wafer trimming apparatus is provided, comprising: a frame including a crossbeam and two parallel longitudinal tracks below the crossbeam; two stages respectively disposed on the two longitudinal tracks and slidable along the longitudinal tracks for carrying a wafer; two trimming assemblies mounted on the crossbeam and respectively moved laterally and vertically by a moving assembly, each trimming assembly including a cutting wheel extending laterally along its axis, the two cutting wheels being capable of synchronously moving to both ends of the lateral diameter of the wafer to trim the wafer; and an inspection mechanism for inspecting the wafer before trimming; the inspection mechanism is disposed on the upstream side of the crossbeam, and the two trimming assemblies are disposed on the downstream side of the crossbeam; the crossbeam is provided with a liftable partition to separate the inspection area on its upstream side and the cutting area on its downstream side to prevent contaminants generated in the cutting area from splashing onto the inspection mechanism; the wafer trimming apparatus is configured such that the two stages alternately move to the cutting area and the inspection area, and the trimming assemblies and the inspection mechanism slide across the two longitudinal tracks in cooperation with the two stages, so that one wafer is cut in the cutting area while another wafer is inspected in the inspection area.
[0006] Optionally, the wafer trimming device is configured such that: while the first wafer is trimmed in the cutting area by one stage, the second wafer is inspected in the inspection area by another stage, and at the same time, the third wafer is taken out from the front-end storage module and placed on the stage after the cutting area stage has completed wafer trimming and returned to the inspection area.
[0007] Optionally, the wafer trimming device includes a wafer picking mechanism, an inspection robot, and a cleaning robot. The wafer picking mechanism is used to remove the wafer from the storage device, the inspection robot is used to transfer the wafer to the stage in the inspection area, and the cleaning robot is used to remove the wafer from the stage in the cutting area.
[0008] Optionally, the wafer trimming device is further configured such that: the stage is movable so that one end of the longitudinal diameter of the wafer coated with adhesive matches the longitudinal position of the cutting wheel; one of the trimming components moves laterally until its cutting wheel is at the longitudinal diameter of the wafer and contacts the wafer downwards, so as to cut the edges of the wafer into arc-shaped notches and remove the adhesive bumps accumulated at the edges during adhesive application.
[0009] Optionally, the wafer trimming device sets the feed amount of the cutter wheel based on the center of the stage, and dynamically compensates for the offset L of the wafer center relative to the center of the stage on the horizontal plane. The vertical compensation amount is the difference between the whole circumference height of the wafer and the height of the center of the upper surface of the wafer, and the horizontal compensation amount is L*cos(a), where a is the stage rotation angle. The wafer trimming device also links the stage and the cutter wheel to compensate for the offset, and the Y-axis linkage compensation amount of the stage is L*sin(a).
[0010] Optionally, the wafer trimming device is further configured to: when the cutting wheel is trimming the edge at one end of the longitudinal diameter of the wafer, add a lateral oscillating motion to the cutting wheel to even out the wear of the cutting wheel, wherein the range of the added lateral oscillation is smaller than the width of the cutting wheel.
[0011] Optionally, the detection mechanism includes a center detector mounted on the crossbeam. The center detector is configured to pick up four points on the edge of the wafer, and take three of these points to obtain four centers. Then, the center obtained by randomly taking three of the four centers is determined as the wafer center. The wafer trimming device moves the wafer to align the wafer center with the calibrated stage center.
[0012] Optionally, the detection mechanism further includes a thickness detector mounted to the crossbeam, the thickness detector being configured to detect the height of a plurality of height measuring points on the upper surface of the wafer to adjust the cutting depth of the cutting wheel based on the height of the height measuring points, the plurality of height measuring points being circumferentially and evenly distributed on the outer edge of the upper surface of the wafer.
[0013] Optionally, the detection mechanism further includes a cutter wheel detector configured to detect the length of the cut formed when the cutter wheel cuts a preset depth on the test wafer, and to determine the diameter of the cutter wheel based on the preset depth and the length of the cut.
[0014] Optionally, the wafer trimming device is further configured to detect the current diameter of the cutting wheel using a test wafer after processing a preset number of wafers, in order to determine the wear amount of the cutting wheel, and adjust the feed rate of the cutting wheel based on the wear amount.
[0015] Optionally, the moving assembly includes a transverse slide that can slide along a transverse track on a crossbeam and a vertical slide that can slide along a vertical track on the transverse slide.
[0016] Optionally, it also includes a transfer area located upstream of the detection area. The stage slides along the longitudinal track to the transfer area to receive the wafer to be trimmed, and then passes through the detection area and the cutting area in sequence to complete the wafer detection and trimming.
[0017] According to another aspect of this application, a wafer processing apparatus is provided, comprising: a front-end storage module for providing a wafer to be trimmed; a wafer trimming device as described above; and a wafer cleaning device for cleaning the trimmed wafer.
[0018] According to another aspect of this application, a wafer processing method is provided, performed using the wafer trimming apparatus or wafer processing equipment described above, wherein the two platforms are a first platform and a second platform, comprising: transferring a wafer to be trimmed to the first platform; the first platform moving along a longitudinal track to a longitudinal position where an inspection mechanism is located; the inspection mechanism moving along a crossbeam to the first platform and performing wafer inspection; the first platform moving along the longitudinal track to match the transverse diameter of the wafer with the longitudinal position of the cutting wheels, while another wafer to be trimmed is transferred to the second platform and the second platform moving along the longitudinal track to the longitudinal position where the inspection mechanism is located; two trimming components moving laterally to the two ends of the transverse diameter of the wafer on the first platform and simultaneously contacting the wafer edge downwards to cut the edge of the wafer into a cross-section. The wafer is cut into a ring with a right-angled step. Simultaneously, the inspection mechanism moves along the crossbeam to the second stage for wafer inspection. After the wafer on the first stage is trimmed, it is removed from the first stage. The first stage continues to receive the next wafer to be trimmed and moves along the longitudinal track to the longitudinal position of the inspection mechanism. Simultaneously, the second stage moves along the longitudinal track to match the transverse diameter of the wafer with the longitudinal position of the cutting wheel. The two trimming components move laterally until the two cutting wheels are at the ends of the transverse diameter of the wafer on the second stage and simultaneously contact the wafer edge downwards to cut the edge of the wafer into a ring with a right-angled step. At the same time, the inspection mechanism moves along the crossbeam to the first stage for wafer inspection. After the wafer on the second stage is trimmed, it is removed from the second stage. Each stage cycles through wafer transfer, inspection, and trimming.
[0019] The wafer trimming apparatus and wafer processing equipment disclosed in this application achieve symmetrical edge trimming of the wafer using dual-blade wheels. By employing a dual-stage and dual-longitudinal-rail configuration, inspection and trimming can be performed simultaneously, reducing stage idle time and blade idle time, thus improving cutting efficiency and increasing the wafer tipping rate (WPH) of the wafer trimming apparatus. Furthermore, by adding only one set of longitudinal rails and stages, the total footprint of the trimming apparatus increases by no more than one-third, while the efficiency more than doubles, significantly improving efficiency per unit area. This facilitates efficient use of factory space, maximizes commercial value, and enhances the market competitiveness of the wafer trimming apparatus. On the other hand, by separating the inspection and cutting areas, the splashing of cooling water and processing debris onto the inspection mechanism during the trimming process is effectively reduced, preventing a decrease in the accuracy of the inspection mechanism or damage to components. This improves wafer inspection accuracy, allowing for more precise control of the blade feed rate, which in turn improves wafer trimming accuracy and wafer yield. Attached Figure Description
[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.
[0021] Figure 1 A side view diagram for wafer dicing; Figure 2 This is a side view of a wafer coated with colloid after edge trimming. Figure 3 A side view diagram for wafer angle trimming; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a wafer trimming device; Figure 5 for Figure 4 A top view of the wafer trimming device in the middle; Figure 6 It shows Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the wafer trimming device from another angle; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a wafer trimming apparatus according to one embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 8 It shows Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the wafer trimming device from another angle; Figure 9 It shows Figure 7 A top view of the wafer trimming device in the middle; Figure 10 It shows Figure 7Timing diagram of wafer trimming device in the process of wafer processing; Figure 11 A flowchart of a wafer fabrication method according to one embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 12 A schematic diagram of a wafer trimming apparatus according to another embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 13 It shows Figure 12 A schematic diagram of the wafer trimming device from another angle; Figure 14 It shows Figure 12 A top view of the wafer trimming device in the middle; Figure 15 A flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the wafer fabrication method of this application is shown; Figure 16 A schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to one embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 17 It shows Figure 16 A top view of the wafer processing equipment.
[0022] Reference numerals: Wafer trimming device 100; crossbeam 10; horizontal track 11; column 20; vertical track 30; base 40; stage 50; motor 51; trimming assembly 60; blade wheel 61; spindle 62; detection mechanism 70; high-magnification lens 71; low-magnification lens 72; point laser detector 73; center detector 74; thickness detector 75; blade wheel detector 76; horizontal slide 81; vertical slide 82; Wafer backside cleaning unit 210; wafer rotation cleaning unit 220; measurement unit 300; wafer pick-up mechanism 410; inspection robot 420; cleaning robot 430; front-end storage module 500; positioning stage 600. Detailed Implementation
[0023] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art should fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application.
[0024] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.
[0025] In addition, in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified and limited, it should be noted that the terms "installation", "connection" and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to mechanical or electrical connections, or internal connections between two components. They can be direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms according to the specific circumstances.
[0026] like Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of wafer dicing. The cutter wheel 61 forms a right-angled step-shaped cut at the edge of the wafer. During dicing, the wafer rotates around its axis, thus forming a ring-shaped cut along the outer periphery of the wafer. After dicing, a wafer with a ring-shaped cut on its outer periphery is obtained. In the manufacturing process of three-dimensional stacked chips, after the dicing process, such as... Figure 2 This requires a photoresist coating process, such as... Figure 2 The image shows a gray colloidal coating. Due to the surface tension of the colloidal material, it accumulates at the wafer edges, creating colloidal bumps. To remove these bumps, angle trimming is required. Figure 3 As shown, the cutter wheel 61 contacts the corner of the right-angle step to cut the corner of the right-angle step into an arc-shaped notch and remove the glue protrusions accumulated at the corner during glue application. Figure 1 , Figure 3 The hollow arrow in the diagram indicates a schematic direction of rotation.
[0027] like Figure 4A schematic diagram of a wafer trimming apparatus 100 is shown, comprising a frame including a crossbeam 10, two columns 20 supported at both ends of the crossbeam 10, and a longitudinal track 30 located below the crossbeam 10. For example, the crossbeam 10 extends along the X-axis, the longitudinal track 30 along the Y-axis, and the columns 20 along the Z-axis. The longitudinal track 30 can be mounted on a base 40, which is fixedly connected to the columns 20. A platform 50 is provided on the longitudinal track 30, which is used to horizontally support the wafer and is driven by a motor 51 below to rotate about its axis, causing the wafer to rotate with it, for example, a DD motor 51 (Direct Drive Motor). The wafer trimming apparatus 100 also includes a trimming assembly 60 suspended to the crossbeam 10, which is movable along the transverse (X-axis) and vertical (Z-axis) directions. The two trimming assemblies 60 include opposing cutter wheels 61, both with axes extending laterally (i.e., the X-axis). Each cutter wheel 61 is driven by a laterally extending spindle 62 to rotate about its axis. During angle trimming, [the following is combined with...] Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown Figure 4 As seen in the top view, the stage 50 moves along the longitudinal track 30 until one end of the wafer's longitudinal diameter (i.e., the diameter extending along the Y-axis) is positioned longitudinally at the location of the cutter wheel 61. One of the two cutter wheels 61 moves laterally to the wafer's longitudinal diameter, and then the cutter wheel 61 descends to contact the corner of the wafer's right-angled step and perform angle trimming. Because it only includes one longitudinal track 30 and one stage 50 moving along the longitudinal track 30, this trimming device can only trim one wafer at a time. Furthermore, the inspection and adjustment of the wafer on the stage must wait for the previous wafer to be trimmed and for the stage 50 to be cleaned before it can be performed. This results in long idling times for the cutter wheels, significant energy waste, and low wafer processing efficiency.
[0028] on the other hand, Figure 6 It shows Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the wafer trimming apparatus 100 from another angle. It can be seen that the trimming apparatus also includes a detection mechanism 70 fixedly connected to the spindle 62 of the cutter wheel 61 via a mounting base. This mechanism is used to detect the alignment of the wafer with the stage 50 and the wafer surface height, etc. The detection mechanism 70 may include, for example, [missing information - likely related to the wafer trimming device 100]. Figure 6The diagram shows a high-magnification lens 71 and a low-magnification lens 72 fixedly connected to the spindle 62 of one cutter wheel 61, and a point laser detector 73 fixedly connected to the spindle 62 of the other cutter wheel 61. From equipment startup to equipment shutdown (including detection, adjustment, etc.), the spindle 62 rotates at high speed continuously to avoid frequent starts and stops of the spindle 62 and the cutter wheel 61 connected to it, which would reduce the stability of the trimming assembly 60, cause component wear and energy waste, and reduce the detection accuracy of the detection mechanism 70 connected to it during detection due to vibration of the trimming assembly 60. Furthermore, during wafer trimming, a large amount of cooling water needs to be sprayed onto the cutter wheel 61 to cool it. Since the detection mechanism 70 is located close to the cutter wheel 61, the splashed water mist and the processing debris it carries will contaminate the detection mechanism 70, reducing its detection accuracy and thus affecting the wafer processing accuracy.
[0029] In view of this, such as Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a wafer trimming apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of this application is shown. The wafer trimming apparatus 100 includes: The frame includes a crossbeam 10 and two parallel longitudinal rails 30 below the crossbeam 10; Two stages 50 are respectively set on two longitudinal tracks 30 and can slide along the longitudinal tracks 30, used to carry the wafer and drive the wafer to rotate; Two trimming assemblies 60 are mounted on the crossbeam 10 via two movable components. The movable components may include a transverse slide 81 slidable along a transverse track 11 on the crossbeam 10 and a vertical slide 82 slidable along a vertical track on the transverse slide 81. The transverse movement (X-direction) of the transverse slide 81 and the vertical movement (Z-direction) of the vertical slide 82 enable the transverse and / or vertical movement of the trimming assembly 60 connected thereto, or the detection mechanism 70 described below. Each trimming assembly 60 may include a blade wheel 61 extending laterally along its axis. The blade wheel 61 is driven by a spindle 62 and rotates continuously during the operation of the wafer trimming apparatus 100.
[0030] The wafer trimming apparatus 100 is configured to perform two wafer trimming processes. During the trimming process, the stage 50 can be moved to match the lateral diameter of the untrimmed wafer (i.e., the diameter of the wafer along the X-axis) with the longitudinal position of the cutter wheel 61. The two trimming components 60 move laterally along the crossbeam 10 under the drive of the moving component, so that the two cutter wheels 61 move synchronously to both ends of the lateral diameter of the wafer to cut the wafer into a wafer with an annular cut with a right-angled step cross section. In addition, the stage 50 can be moved to match one end of the longitudinal diameter of the wafer (i.e., the diameter of the wafer along the Y-axis) with the longitudinal position of the cutter wheel 61. One of the two trimming components 60 moves laterally until its cutter wheel 61 is at both ends of the longitudinal diameter of the wafer and simultaneously contacts the corner of the right-angle step downwards to cut the corner of the right-angle step into an arc-shaped notch and remove the adhesive bumps accumulated at the corner during the application of adhesive, thereby reducing the accumulation of adhesive at the edge of the wafer and avoiding problems such as wafer edge chipping or metal exposure (such as exposed copper) in subsequent processes.
[0031] like Figures 7-9 As shown, the inspection mechanism 70 and the two trimming components 60 of the wafer trimming apparatus 100 are arranged relatively independently. The inspection mechanism 70 is located on the upstream side of the crossbeam 10, and the two trimming components 60 are located on the downstream side of the crossbeam 10. After the wafer on the stage 50 completes inspection in the inspection area on the upstream side of the crossbeam, it moves with the stage 50 to the cutting area on the downstream side of the crossbeam 10 for trimming. The inspection area and the cutting area are as follows: Figure 9 The dashed boxes on both sides of the beam are shown. In this article, upstream and downstream refer to the workflow or wafer transport path. Typically, the wafer undergoes inspection before trimming; therefore, the inspection unit 70 is located upstream (i.e.,...). Figure 9 Viewed from above the crossbeam 10), the trimming component 60 is located downstream (i.e., above the crossbeam 10). Figure 9 (View from below the crossbeam 10). The wafer trimming device 100 allows wafers on one stage 50 to be trimmed downstream of the crossbeam 10, while wafers on another stage 50 are inspected upstream of the crossbeam 10. Both the trimming assembly 60 and the inspection mechanism 70 can slide across the two longitudinal tracks 30 to alternately trim and inspect the wafers on the two stages 50.
[0032] Therefore, according to the wafer trimming apparatus of this application, by independently setting the inspection mechanism 70 and the trimming assembly 60, the impact of vibration caused by the high-speed rotation of the spindle 62 and the cutter wheel 61 of the trimming assembly 60 on the inspection accuracy of the inspection mechanism 70 can be reduced, thereby improving the inspection accuracy and reliability of the inspection mechanism 70. Furthermore, the separate setting of inspection and trimming can effectively reduce the splashing of cooling water and processing debris onto the inspection mechanism 70 during the trimming process, preventing a decrease in the accuracy of the inspection mechanism 70 or damage to its components. In addition, inspection and trimming can be carried out simultaneously. By simply adding a longitudinal track 30 and a stage 50, two parallel work lines can be realized, greatly improving the wafer processing efficiency, i.e., WPH. For manufacturers or customers with requirements on equipment floor space, this can greatly improve the processing efficiency per unit floor space, reduce wafer manufacturing costs, and improve the utilization rate of site resources.
[0033] In a further embodiment, the wafer trimming apparatus 100 may also include a vertically extending, liftable partition disposed on the crossbeam 10 to separate the detection area and the cutting area of the crossbeam 10, thereby further reducing the sputtering of contaminants generated during wafer trimming in the cutting area onto the detection mechanism 70 in the detection area, ensuring high-precision wafer detection and extending the service life of the detection mechanism 70. Furthermore, the wafer trimming apparatus 100 also includes a transfer area disposed upstream of the detection area, where the stage 50 slides along the longitudinal track 30 to the transfer area to receive the wafer to be trimmed, and then sequentially passes through the detection area and the cutting area to complete wafer detection and trimming.
[0034] In one embodiment, the wafer trimming apparatus is configured such that: while a first wafer is trimmed in the cutting area using a stage 50, a second wafer is inspected in the inspection area using another stage 50; simultaneously, a third wafer is removed from the front-end storage module 500 and placed on the stage 50 in the inspection area after it has completed wafer trimming and returned to the inspection area. The wafer trimming apparatus includes a wafer pick-up mechanism, an inspection robot 420, and a cleaning robot 430 (see [link to relevant documentation]). Figure 16 The wafer retrieval mechanism is used to remove the wafer from the storage device, the inspection robot 420 is used to transfer the wafer to the stage in the inspection area, and the cleaning robot 430 is used to remove the wafer from the stage in the cutting area. Figure 10The timing diagram of the wafer trimming device is shown. For ease of description, the two stages 50 are referred to as the first stage and the second stage. In this process, the first wafer is retrieved from the front-end storage device 500 by the wafer retrieval mechanism 410 and placed on the positioning stage 600 for temporary storage and positioning. Then, it is transferred by the inspection robot 420 to the first platform that moves to the inspection area. While the first platform performs wafer inspection, the wafer retrieval mechanism 410 retrieves the second wafer from the front-end storage device 500 and places it on the positioning stage 600. After the first platform completes inspection and moves to the cutting area for wafer trimming, the inspection robot 420 transfers the second wafer to the second platform that moves to the inspection area, where the second wafer is inspected. At the same time, the third wafer is retrieved from the front-end storage device by the wafer retrieval mechanism and placed on the positioning stage 600. After the first platform completes wafer trimming in the cutting area, the wafer is transferred to the cleaning unit by the cleaning robot 430 for cleaning. The first platform performs self-cleaning. Then, while the second platform moves to the cutting area for cutting, it moves again to the inspection area to receive the third wafer and perform wafer inspection. In this way, the two stages work alternately and cyclically, allowing three wafers to be processed simultaneously, waiting for one of the two stages to perform the operation. This reduces the idle waiting time of the stages, reduces the idle time of the cutter wheels, improves cutting efficiency, and increases the WPH of the wafer trimming device.
[0035] Specifically, such as Figure 8 The inspection mechanism 70 may include a center detector 74 mounted to the crossbeam 10 via another movable component. The center detector 74 is configured to pick up four points on the edge of the wafer, and select three of these points to determine the center. This process is repeated four times to obtain four centers in total. The center obtained by selecting three of the four centers is then determined as the wafer center. Preferably, if one of the four centers deviates from the position of the other three centers by more than a threshold, that center is discarded, or the inspection is repeated. Then, the wafer trimming device 100 adjusts the position of the wafer so that the wafer center is aligned with the center of the calibrated stage 50, thereby ensuring precise alignment between the wafer and the stage 50, which rotate concentrically. Specifically, the center detector 74 may be a vision detector with a high-magnification lens.
[0036] The inspection mechanism 70 may also include a thickness detector 75 mounted to the crossbeam 10 via another movable component. The thickness detector 75 is configured to detect the height of a plurality of height measurement points on the upper surface of the wafer. These height measurement points are circumferentially evenly distributed along the outer edge of the upper surface of the wafer. The depth of cutter wheel 61 is adjusted based on the height of the height measurement points, thereby ensuring that the annular cut or arc-shaped notch has uniform dimensions throughout the entire circumference of the wafer. The thickness detector 75 may be a point laser rangefinder, which determines the height of the height measurement points on the wafer surface by emitting a laser beam into the wafer and receiving the returned laser beam.
[0037] Additionally, the inspection mechanism 70 may also include a cutter wheel detector 76, configured to detect the length of the kerf formed when the cutter wheel 61 cuts a preset depth on the test wafer, and determine the diameter of the cutter wheel 61 based on the geometric relationship between the preset depth, the length of the kerf, and the diameter of the cutter wheel. Furthermore, the feed rate of the cutter wheel 61 is determined based on the diameter of the cutter wheel 61, where the geometric relationship is: the square of the cutter wheel radius = the square of (cutter wheel radius - preset depth) + the square of (kerf / 2). Further, the wafer trimming device 100 is also configured to detect the current diameter of the cutter wheel 61 using the test wafer after processing a preset number of wafers, to monitor the wear of the cutter wheel 61 in a timely manner, and then adjust the feed rate of the cutter wheel 61 based on the wear. Specifically, the cutter wheel detector 76 may be a vision detector with a low-magnification lens.
[0038] In specific implementation methods, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 The crossbeam 10 has transverse rails 11 on both its upstream and downstream sides. The moving component of the trimming assembly 60 is mounted to the transverse rail 11 on the upstream side of the crossbeam 10, and the moving component of the detection mechanism 70 is mounted to the transverse rail 11 on the downstream side of the crossbeam 10. More specifically, as... Figure 8 Two of the center detector 74, thickness detector 75 and tool wheel detector 76 can be mounted to the same moving component via a mounting plate, while the other can be mounted separately to another moving component.
[0039] The wafer trimming apparatus of this application, by employing a dual-stage, dual-longitudinal-rail configuration, allows for simultaneous inspection and trimming, reducing stage idle time and cutter wheel idle time, thereby improving cutting efficiency and increasing the wafer yield (WPH) of the wafer trimming apparatus. Furthermore, by adding only one set of longitudinal rails and stages, the total footprint of the trimming apparatus increases by no more than one-third, while the efficiency more than doubles, significantly improving efficiency per unit area. This facilitates efficient use of factory space, maximizes commercial value, and enhances the market competitiveness of the wafer trimming apparatus. On the other hand, by separating the inspection and cutting areas, the splashing of cooling water and processing debris onto the inspection mechanism during trimming is effectively reduced, preventing a decrease in the accuracy of the inspection mechanism or damage to components. This improves wafer inspection accuracy, enabling more precise control of the cutter wheel feed rate, which in turn improves wafer trimming accuracy and wafer yield.
[0040] Normally, the alignment between the wafer center and the stage 50 center can be checked by an inspection mechanism. If misalignment exists, the wafer is repositioned to adjust its position. However, since the wafer is vacuum-adhered and fixed by the stage 50's suction plate after being placed on it, releasing the suction and lifting the wafer again increases equipment energy consumption. On the other hand, after the wafer is lifted and repositioned by the robot arm that moves or transports the wafer, due to the robot arm's operational error, there will still be some misalignment between the wafer and the stage 50, and perfect alignment cannot be guaranteed. In addition, the wafer itself may have thickness differences, meaning that after being placed on the stage 50, its entire outer edge may have different heights. If the cutter wheel 61 always feeds with the same vertical feed amount, the vertical cutting amount of the wafer will be uneven across the entire outer perimeter.
[0041] Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the offset L between the center of the wafer and the center of the stage 50 on the horizontal plane can be detected using a detection mechanism. When the stage 50 rotates by an angle α, the component of the offset L in the X-axis is L*cos(α), and the offset in the Y-axis is L*sin(α). Based on this, during the process of the stage 50 driving the wafer to rotate and the cutter wheel 61 feeding to trim the wafer angle, a dynamic compensation amount can be set for the cutter wheel 61 based on its basic feed amount. The basic feed amount of the cutter wheel 61 is based on the center of the stage 50 (i.e., the wafer center and the center of the stage 50 are precisely aligned by default, but there is actually a deviation) and is set based on the desired arc-shaped notch shape. The dynamic compensation amount is set based on the change of the offset in the X and Y directions. The cutter wheel 61 can move laterally, so a lateral compensation amount L*cos(a) is set for it to counteract the lateral offset of the wafer center relative to the center of the stage 50. This makes the trimming of the wafer edge by the cutter wheel 61 closer to the desired trimming shape and makes the wafer more uniformly stressed when being cut, reducing edge damage and stress concentration.
[0042] In addition, a vertical compensation amount is set for the cutter wheel. The vertical compensation amount is the difference between the whole circumference height of the wafer and the height of the center of the upper surface of the wafer. The vertical compensation amount of the cutter wheel can make the cutting amount of the cutter wheel uniform and consistent along the circumference of the wafer, avoiding stress concentration at the edge of the wafer caused by the uneven depth of the arc notch.
[0043] Furthermore, the stage 50 can be moved to form a dynamic linkage compensation with the cutter wheel 61. The stage 50 can move longitudinally, and the longitudinal linkage compensation amount of the stage 50 is L*sin(a). Thus, through the dynamic linkage compensation of the cutter wheel 61 in the transverse direction and the stage 50 in the longitudinal direction, the cutter wheel 61 can dynamically feed with the center of the wafer as the reference during the processing. The basic feed amount of the cutter wheel 61 can be accurately and uniformly delivered to the wafer, without any offset between the center of the wafer and the center of the stage 50. This ensures that the wafer is subjected to consistent force and has a consistent cutting amount throughout the circumference. It ensures that when the wafer rotates to any circumferential angle, the cutter wheel 61 can cut an arc-shaped notch with consistent width and depth. This fundamentally avoids the coating liquid accumulation problem caused by uneven processing, reduces stress concentration at the wafer edge, reduces edge chipping, improves the edge trimming quality of the wafer, and thus improves the quality and yield of the 3D stacked chip.
[0044] Furthermore, in traditional edge trimming processes, the cutting wheel 61 rotates in a fixed axial position. Only a small portion of the abrasive grains along the axial direction of the cutting wheel 61 continuously contact and rub against the wafer edge. This continuous abrasive grain group generates concentrated grinding heat. If the heat cannot be dissipated by the coolant in time, it can lead to excessively high local temperatures on the cutting wheel, potentially causing thermal damage (microcracks) to the wafer edge or premature failure of the bonding agent on the cutting wheel surface. Moreover, the continuous operation of the abrasive grain group involved in cutting causes it to wear down and become dull quickly, while the abrasive grains in other axial areas of the cutting wheel hardly participate in cutting. This results in the cutting wheel 61 quickly losing its original shape accuracy and reducing edge trimming precision. Therefore, the wafer trimming device can also add lateral oscillation to the cutting wheel, i.e., oscillation in the width direction of the cutting wheel. This means that at one moment, the abrasive grains on the left side of the cutting wheel 61 may contact the wafer; at the next moment, the cutting contact point may have moved to the middle of the cutting wheel 61; and at the next moment, the cutting contact point may have moved to the right side of the cutting wheel 61. In this way, individual abrasive grains no longer cut continuously but work intermittently. When the cutter wheel 61 moves axially, the abrasive grain can withdraw from the contact area and wait for the coolant to wash away the heat until the cutter wheel 61 swings back, at which point it contacts the workpiece again. This intermittent working mode greatly improves the heat dissipation conditions of individual abrasive grains, avoids local overheating, and distributes the wear evenly across the axial width of the cutter wheel. This significantly delays shape distortion in specific areas of the cutter wheel, allowing the cutter wheel to maintain stable cutting performance and contour accuracy for a longer period of time, thereby ensuring the edge trimming accuracy of the wafer.
[0045] The above dynamic compensation settings can be used for edge trimming processes that form annular steps, and can also be adapted for angle trimming processes that form arc-shaped notches. The wafer trimming apparatus 100 of this application can also be used to perform a wafer processing method. For example... Figure 11 As shown, the wafer fabrication method includes: S1: The wafer to be trimmed is transferred to the first stage, and the first stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 to the longitudinal position where the detection mechanism 70 is located. S2: The inspection mechanism 70 moves along the crossbeam 10 to the first stage and performs wafer inspection; S3: The first stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 to match the transverse diameter of the wafer with the longitudinal position of the cutter wheel 61. At the same time, another wafer to be trimmed is transferred to the second stage and the second stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 to the longitudinal position where the detection mechanism 70 is located. S4: The two trimming components move laterally to the two ends of the lateral diameter of the wafer on the first stage, where the two cutting wheels 61 are located, and simultaneously contact the edge of the wafer downwards to cut the edge of the wafer into an annular cut with a right-angled step cross section. At the same time, the detection mechanism 70 moves along the crossbeam 10 to the second stage to perform wafer detection. S5: After the wafer on the first stage is trimmed, it is removed from the first stage, and the first stage continues to receive the next wafer to be trimmed and moves along the longitudinal track 30 to the longitudinal position where the detection mechanism 70 is located. At the same time, the second stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 to match the transverse diameter of the wafer with the longitudinal position of the cutter wheel. S6: The two trimming components move laterally to the two ends of the lateral diameter of the wafer on the second stage and simultaneously contact the wafer edge downwards to cut the edge of the wafer into an annular cut with a right-angled step cross section. At the same time, the detection mechanism 70 moves along the crossbeam 30 to the first stage to perform wafer detection. S7: After the wafer on the second stage has been trimmed, it is removed from the second stage; Each stage performs wafer transfer, inspection, and trimming in a cycle.
[0046] Preferably, after the wafer is removed from the stage 50 after trimming, it can be transferred to the wafer cleaning device via the wafer transfer device for cleaning and drying operations.
[0047] Furthermore, the wafer processing method may also include a step of angular trimming of the wafer, wherein the cutter wheel moves to one end of the longitudinal diameter of the wafer to perform angular trimming, and the alternating movement of the two stages and the synchronization of angular trimming and wafer inspection are similar to the steps described above.
[0048] In addition, during the wafer trimming process of each cutter wheel, the aforementioned dynamic compensation settings can also be used to dynamically compensate for the movement of the cutter wheel and / or the stage.
[0049] On the other hand, the aforementioned wafer trimming device uses a dual-blade wheel to cut the annular step and a single-blade wheel to trim the angle. For situations where the uniformity of force and trimming accuracy in angle trimming are required to be high, the wafer trimming device can be improved to achieve dual-blade wheel angle trimming.
[0050] In view of this, such as Figures 12-14 A schematic diagram of a wafer trimming apparatus 100 according to another embodiment of this application is shown. The wafer trimming apparatus 100 includes: The frame includes a crossbeam 10 and a longitudinal track 30 below the crossbeam 10; The stage 50 can slide along the longitudinal track 30 and is used to horizontally support the wafer and drive the wafer to rotate. Two trimming assemblies 60 are mounted on the crossbeam 10 via two moving assemblies. The moving assemblies may include a transverse slide 81 slidable along a transverse track 11 on the crossbeam 10 and a vertical slide 82 slidable along a vertical track on the transverse slide 81. The transverse movement (X direction) of the transverse slide 81 and the vertical movement (Z direction) of the vertical slide 82 enable the transverse and / or vertical movement of the trimming assembly 60 or the detection mechanism 70 connected thereto. Each trimming assembly 60 may include a longitudinally extending blade wheel 61, which is driven by a spindle 62 and rotates continuously during the operation of the wafer trimming apparatus 100.
[0051] The wafer trimming apparatus 100 can also be used to perform two wafer trimming processes. During the dicing process, the stage 50 can move to align one end of the longitudinal diameter of the unclipped wafer with the longitudinal position of the cutter wheel 61. One of the trimming components 60, driven by the moving component, moves laterally along the beam 10 until its cutter wheel 61 is at the longitudinal diameter of the wafer and contacts the wafer downwards, thus cutting the wafer into a ring-shaped cut with a right-angled step cross-section. During the angle trimming process, such as... Figure 7 and Figure 9 As shown, the stage 50 can be moved to match the lateral diameter of the wafer (i.e., the diameter of the wafer along the X-axis) with the longitudinal position of the cutter wheel 61. The two trimming components 60 move laterally to the two cutter wheels 61 at the two ends of the lateral diameter of the wafer and simultaneously contact the corner of the right-angle step downwards to cut the corner of the right-angle step into an arc-shaped notch and remove the adhesive bumps accumulated at the corner during the application of adhesive.
[0052] The wafer trimming device 100 enables symmetrical angle trimming of the wafer by the dual blades 61, reducing the vibration instability of the stage 50 and the uneven force on the motor 51 caused by angle trimming by a single blade 61. This improves the trimming accuracy of the wafer, reduces wear on components such as the motor, and extends the service life of the motor.
[0053] Similarly, Figures 12-14 The wafer trimming apparatus 100 of the illustrated embodiment also employs a dual-stage, dual-longitudinal-track configuration, and similarly separates the detection area and the cutting area, enabling it to achieve [unclear meaning - possibly related to wafer trimming]. Figures 7-9 The technical effects of the embodiments shown are similar to those of the embodiments described.
[0054] Figures 12-14 The wafer trimming apparatus 100 of the illustrated embodiment can also be used to perform a wafer processing method, which includes: S10: The wafer with a ring cut with a right-angled step cross section (i.e., the wafer to be angled) is transferred to the first stage, and the first stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 to the longitudinal position where the detection mechanism 70 is located. S20: The inspection mechanism 70 moves along the crossbeam 10 to the first stage and performs wafer inspection; S30: The first stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 to match the transverse diameter of the wafer with the longitudinal position of the cutter wheel 61. At the same time, another wafer with a ring cut with a right-angled step cross section is transferred to the second stage and the second stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 to the longitudinal position where the detection mechanism 70 is located. S40: The two trimming components 60 move laterally to the two ends of the lateral diameter of the wafer on the first stage, and simultaneously contact the right-angle step of the wafer downwards to cut the right-angle step into an arc-shaped notch and remove the adhesive bumps accumulated at the edge during the coating process (i.e., perform angle trimming). At the same time, the inspection mechanism 70 moves along the crossbeam 10 to the second stage to inspect the wafer. S50: After the wafer on the first stage is trimmed, it is removed from the first stage, and the first stage continues to receive the next wafer to be trimmed and moves along the longitudinal track 30 to the longitudinal position where the detection mechanism 70 is located. At the same time, the second stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 to match the transverse diameter of the wafer with the longitudinal position of the cutter wheel 61. S60: The two trimming components 60 move laterally to the two ends of the lateral diameter of the wafer on the second stage where the two cutting wheels 61 are located and simultaneously contact the corner of the right-angle step of the wafer downwards to cut the corner of the right-angle step into an arc-shaped notch and remove the glue bumps accumulated at the corner during the coating process. At the same time, the detection mechanism 70 moves along the crossbeam 10 to the first stage to perform wafer detection. S70: After the wafer on the second stage is trimmed, it is removed from the second stage, and the second stage continues to receive the next wafer to be trimmed and moves along the longitudinal track 30 to the longitudinal position where the detection mechanism 70 is located. At the same time, the first stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 to match the transverse diameter of the wafer with the longitudinal position of the cutter wheel 61.
[0055] The subsequent loop operations will not be described in detail. For example... Figure 15 The operation flow on the two stages 50 is illustrated separately. Each stage 50 cycles through wafer transfer, inspection, and trimming, and the two stages 50 perform inspection and trimming simultaneously, as shown below. Figure 15 The hollow double-headed arrows in the image illustrate the synchronization of angle adjustment on the first stage and wafer inspection on the second stage.
[0056] Preferably, after the wafer is removed from the stage 50 after trimming, it can be transferred to the wafer cleaning device via the wafer transfer device for cleaning and drying operations.
[0057] In an optional embodiment, the wafer fabrication method further includes performing an edge trimming process before performing the angle trimming process described in steps S10-S70. For example, the wafer fabrication method further includes: S01: The wafer to be cut is transferred to the first stage, and the first stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 to the longitudinal position where the detection mechanism 70 is located; S02: The inspection mechanism 70 moves along the crossbeam 10 to the first stage and performs wafer inspection; S03: The first stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 to move one end of the longitudinal diameter of the wafer (e.g., Figure 9 The lower end of the wafer (in the field of view) is matched with the longitudinal position of the cutter wheel 61, while the other wafer to be cut is transferred to the second stage and the second stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 to the longitudinal position where the detection mechanism 70 is located. S04: One of the trimming components 60 moves laterally to one end of the longitudinal diameter of the wafer on the first stage, where its cutting wheel 61 is located and contacts the wafer downwards, so as to cut the wafer into a wafer with an annular cut with a right-angled step on the outer periphery (i.e., trimming the edge), while the detection mechanism 70 moves along the crossbeam 10 to the second stage to detect the wafer. S05: After the wafer on the first stage is trimmed, it is removed from the first stage, and the first stage continues to receive the next wafer to be trimmed and moves along the longitudinal track 30 to the longitudinal position where the detection mechanism 70 is located. At the same time, the second stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 so that one end of the longitudinal diameter of the wafer matches the longitudinal position of the cutter wheel 61. S06: One of the trimming components 60 moves laterally to one end of the longitudinal diameter of the wafer on the second stage where the two cutting wheels 61 are located and contacts the wafer downwards to cut the wafer into a ring-shaped cut with a right-angled step on the outer periphery. At the same time, the inspection mechanism 70 moves along the crossbeam 10 to the first stage to inspect the wafer. S07: After the wafer on the second stage is trimmed, it is removed from the second stage, and the second stage continues to receive the next wafer to be trimmed and moves along the longitudinal track 30 to the longitudinal position where the detection mechanism 70 is located. At the same time, the first stage moves along the longitudinal track 30 so that one end of the longitudinal diameter of the wafer matches the longitudinal position of the cutter wheel 61.
[0058] Subsequent cyclical operations will not be described in detail. Similarly, each stage 50 cycles through wafer transfer, inspection, and trimming, with both stages 50 performing inspection and trimming simultaneously. Preferably, after trimming, the wafer can be transferred via the wafer transfer device to the wafer cleaning device for cleaning and drying operations.
[0059] It should be understood that "trimming" includes cutting (cutting out annular steps) and angle trimming (cutting out arc-shaped notches). In the aforementioned angle trimming process, trimming specifically refers to angle trimming, and in the aforementioned cutting process, trimming specifically refers to cutting.
[0060] This application also provides a wafer processing device, such as... Figure 16 The diagram shows a 3D view of the wafer processing equipment and Figure 17 The top view shown may include a front-end storage module, any one of the two wafer trimming devices 100 mentioned above, a wafer cleaning device, a positioning stage 600, and a measurement unit 300, etc. The front-end storage module 500 is used to store wafers to be processed or already processed. The wafer cleaning device is used to clean the trimmed wafers, and may include a wafer backside cleaning unit 210 and a wafer rotation cleaning unit 220. The wafer pick-up mechanism 410, the inspection robot 420, and the cleaning robot 430 are used to transfer wafers. The wafer pick-up mechanism 410 can be a multi-axis rotating robot between the front-end storage module and the positioning stage 600. The inspection robot 420 and the cleaning robot 430 can be grippers that can transport wafers along a linear track.
[0061] The wafer processing equipment according to this application can also be used to perform the aforementioned wafer processing method, and at least has the beneficial technical effects of the aforementioned wafer trimming device.
[0062] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of this application. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions also fall within the scope of the embodiments of this application, and the patent protection scope of the embodiments of this application should be defined by the claims.
Claims
1. A wafer trimming device, characterized in that, include: The frame includes a crossbeam and two parallel longitudinal rails below the crossbeam; Two stages, each set on two longitudinal tracks and capable of sliding along the longitudinal tracks, are used to support the wafer; Two trimming components are mounted on the crossbeam and moved laterally and vertically respectively by a moving component. Each trimming component includes a cutting wheel with a horizontally extending axis. The two cutting wheels can move synchronously to both ends of the lateral diameter of the wafer to trim the wafer. Inspection facilities are used to inspect wafers before trimming. The inspection mechanism is located on the upstream side of the crossbeam, and the two trimming components are located on the downstream side of the crossbeam. The crossbeam is equipped with a liftable partition to separate the inspection area on its upstream side from the cutting area on its downstream side, so as to prevent contaminants generated in the cutting area from splashing onto the inspection mechanism. The wafer trimming device is configured such that two stages are moved alternately to the cutting area and the inspection area, and the trimming assembly and inspection mechanism slide across two longitudinal tracks in cooperation with the two stages, so that one wafer is cut in the cutting area while the other wafer is inspected in the inspection area.
2. The wafer trimming apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer trimming device is configured such that: while the first wafer is trimmed in the cutting area by one stage, the second wafer is inspected in the inspection area by another stage, and the third wafer is taken out from the front-end storage module and placed on the stage after the cutting stage has finished trimming the wafer and returned to the inspection area.
3. The wafer trimming apparatus as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The wafer trimming device includes a wafer picking mechanism, an inspection robot, and a cleaning robot. The wafer picking mechanism is used to remove the wafer from the storage device, the inspection robot is used to transfer the wafer to the stage in the inspection area, and the cleaning robot is used to remove the wafer from the stage in the cutting area.
4. The wafer trimming apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer trimming device is further configured such that: the stage is movable so that one end of the longitudinal diameter of the wafer coated with adhesive matches the longitudinal position of the cutting wheel; one of the trimming components moves laterally until its cutting wheel is at the longitudinal diameter of the wafer and contacts the wafer downwards, so as to cut the edges of the wafer into arc-shaped notches and remove the adhesive bumps accumulated at the edges during adhesive application.
5. The wafer trimming apparatus as described in claim 1 or 4, characterized in that, The wafer trimming device sets the feed amount of the cutting wheel based on the center of the stage, and dynamically compensates for the offset L of the wafer center relative to the center of the stage on the horizontal plane. The vertical compensation amount is the difference between the whole circumference height of the wafer and the height of the center of the upper surface of the wafer, and the horizontal compensation amount is L*cos(a), where a is the stage rotation angle. The wafer trimming device also links the stage with the cutter wheel to compensate for the offset, and the Y-axis linkage compensation of the stage is L*sin(a).
6. The wafer trimming apparatus as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The wafer trimming device is further configured such that when the cutting wheel trims the edge at one end of the longitudinal diameter of the wafer, a lateral oscillation motion is added to the cutting wheel to even out the wear of the cutting wheel, and the range of the added lateral oscillation is smaller than the width of the cutting wheel.
7. The wafer trimming apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The detection mechanism includes a center detector mounted on a crossbeam. The center detector is configured to pick up four points on the edge of the wafer, and take three of these points to find the center of a total of four centers. Then, the center obtained by randomly taking three of the four centers is determined as the wafer center. The wafer trimming device moves the wafer to align the wafer center with the calibrated stage center.
8. The wafer trimming apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The detection mechanism also includes a thickness detector mounted to the crossbeam. The thickness detector is configured to detect the height of a plurality of height measuring points on the upper surface of the wafer to adjust the cutting depth of the cutting wheel based on the height of the height measuring points. The plurality of height measuring points are circumferentially and evenly distributed on the outer edge of the upper surface of the wafer.
9. The wafer trimming apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The detection mechanism also includes a cutter wheel detector, which is configured to detect the length of the cut formed when the cutter wheel cuts a preset depth on the test wafer, and to determine the diameter of the cutter wheel based on the preset depth and the length of the cut.
10. The wafer trimming apparatus as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The wafer trimming device is also configured to detect the current diameter of the cutting wheel using a test wafer after processing a preset number of wafers, in order to determine the wear amount of the cutting wheel, and adjust the feed amount of the cutting wheel based on the wear amount.
11. The wafer trimming apparatus according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The moving assembly includes a transverse slide that can slide along a transverse track on a crossbeam and a vertical slide that can slide along a vertical track on the transverse slide.
12. The wafer trimming apparatus as described in claim 11, characterized in that, It also includes a transfer area located upstream of the detection area. The stage slides along the longitudinal track to the transfer area to receive the wafer to be trimmed, and then passes through the detection area and the cutting area in sequence to complete the wafer detection and trimming.
13. A wafer processing equipment, characterized in that, include: The front-end storage module is used to provide the wafers to be trimmed; The wafer trimming apparatus as described in any one of claims 1-12; as well as A wafer cleaning device is used to clean wafers after they have been trimmed.
14. A wafer processing method, performed using the wafer trimming apparatus as described in any one of claims 1-10 or the wafer processing equipment as described in claim 13, wherein the two stages are a first stage and a second stage, characterized in that, include: The wafer to be trimmed is transferred to the first stage, and the first stage moves along the longitudinal track to the longitudinal position where the inspection mechanism is located. The testing mechanism moves along the crossbeam to the first stage and performs wafer testing; The first stage moves along the longitudinal track to match the transverse diameter of the wafer with the longitudinal position of the cutting wheel, while another wafer to be trimmed is transferred to the second stage and the second stage moves along the longitudinal track to the longitudinal position where the inspection mechanism is located. The two trimming components move laterally to the two ends of the lateral diameter of the wafer on the first stage and simultaneously contact the wafer edge downwards to cut the edge of the wafer into an annular cut with a right-angled step cross section. At the same time, the inspection mechanism moves along the crossbeam to the second stage to inspect the wafer. After the wafer on the first stage is trimmed, it is removed from the first stage. The first stage continues to receive the next wafer to be trimmed and moves along the longitudinal track to the longitudinal position where the inspection mechanism is located. At the same time, the second stage moves along the longitudinal track to match the transverse diameter of the wafer with the longitudinal position of the cutter wheel. The two trimming components move laterally to the two ends of the lateral diameter of the wafer on the second stage and simultaneously contact the wafer edge downwards to cut the edge of the wafer into an annular cut with a right-angled step cross section. At the same time, the inspection mechanism moves along the crossbeam to the first stage to inspect the wafer. After the wafers on the second stage are trimmed, they are removed from the second stage. Each stage performs wafer transfer, inspection, and trimming in a cycle.