Wafer dicing device and wafer processing apparatus

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of wafer processing equipment technology, specifically disclosing a wafer dicing apparatus and wafer processing equipment. The wafer dicing apparatus includes: a base having a first surface, a second surface, and an observation port extending through the base along a third direction, all facing away from each other; a vision camera mounted on the first surface; a support assembly including two support platforms slidably connected to the second surface along a second direction, with a gap extending along the first direction formed between the two support platforms, the gap corresponding to a scratch on the wafer; and a dicing assembly including a dicing cutter head slidably mounted on the second surface along a third direction, the dicing cutter head being used to apply pressure to the wafer surface opposite to the scratch; wherein the vision camera, observation port, gap, and dicing cutter head are arranged sequentially along the third direction. The wafer dicing apparatus and wafer processing equipment of this invention can improve the accuracy and quality of wafer dicing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wafer processing equipment technology, and in particular to a wafer dicing device and wafer processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Wafer dicing is a key step in the dicing process of semiconductor manufacturing. It refers to the process of separating a pre-cut wafer into individual dies along the dicing track through mechanical force or stress induction. In the prior art, for example, Chinese Patent Publication No. CN110394908A discloses a flip-type semiconductor dicing device. Paragraph

[25] of its specification describes that: the diced wafer, together with the wafer adsorption disk, is flipped to the other side of the support frame and attached to the dicing disk by a wafer flipping mechanism. The dicing disk has multiple sets of equidistant protrusions on its body. Each pair of protrusions serves as a stress point for the scratch. The semiconductor wafer is diced and fractured by the back pressure method of the wafer dicing mechanism, thereby realizing an automated processing method for semiconductor wafer dicing. It can be seen that at present, when dicing wafers, it is not easy to observe the relative position of the scratch and the protrusion, which easily causes the scratch and the protrusion to cross. When the semiconductor wafer is diced and fractured by the back pressure method, uneven stress is caused, which affects the accuracy and quality of wafer dicing. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a wafer dicing apparatus and wafer processing equipment that can improve the precision and quality of wafer dicing.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a wafer dicing apparatus having a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction that are perpendicular to each other, comprising: A base having a first surface, a second surface disposed opposite to each other along the third direction, and an observation port penetrating the base along the third direction; A vision camera, which is mounted on the first surface; A carrier assembly, comprising two carrier platforms slidably connected to the second surface along a second direction, with a gap extending along the first direction formed between the two carrier platforms, the gap corresponding to a scratch on the wafer; and A dicing assembly, the dicing assembly including a dicing cutter head, the dicing cutter head being slidably mounted on the second surface along the third direction, the dicing cutter head being used to apply pressure to the surface of the wafer opposite to the scratch direction; The vision camera, the observation port, the slit, and the dicing blade are arranged sequentially along the third direction.

[0005] In some embodiments, the support assembly further includes a rotary table rotatably mounted on the second surface about the third direction, the rotary table having a receiving hole extending along the third direction, and the support table disposed in the receiving hole.

[0006] In some embodiments, the support platform has a support surface on the side near the cleaving assembly, and the rotating platform has a rotating surface on the side near the cleaving assembly, the rotating surface being higher than the support surface along the third direction.

[0007] In some embodiments, if the distance between the rotating surface and the bearing surface along the third direction is a, and the thickness of the wafer is b, then 0.2b≤a≤b is satisfied.

[0008] In some embodiments, the support assembly further includes two first slide rails, which are mounted on the second surface, and the support platform is slidably connected to the first slide rails in a corresponding manner.

[0009] In some embodiments, the dicing assembly includes a second slide rail and a third slide rail, the second slide rail being mounted on the second surface, the third slide rail being slidably connected to the second slide rail along the first direction, and the dicing blade being slidably mounted on the third slide rail along the third direction.

[0010] In some embodiments, the dicing assembly further includes a slider, a cutter holder, and a buffer spring. The slider is slidably mounted on the third slide rail along the third direction, the cutter holder is slidably mounted on the slider along the third direction, the dicing cutter head is mounted on one end of the cutter holder, and the buffer spring is mounted on the other end of the cutter holder.

[0011] In some embodiments, along the first direction, the length of the observation port is greater than the length of the slit.

[0012] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a wafer processing apparatus, comprising: A wafer dicing apparatus for forming scratches on the surface of the wafer; The wafer dicing apparatus described in the first aspect is used to dic the scratched wafer; and A robotic arm for transferring the wafer from the wafer dicing apparatus to the wafer cleaving apparatus.

[0013] In some embodiments, the device further includes a loading fixture and an unloading fixture, wherein the loading fixture is configured corresponding to the wafer dicing device and the unloading fixture is configured corresponding to the wafer cleaving device.

[0014] This invention provides a wafer dicing apparatus and wafer processing equipment, which have the following advantages compared with the prior art: The vision camera can detect the width of the gap through the observation port. When the wafer is placed on the carrier stage, it can detect the relative position of the scratches and gaps on the wafer, which helps to adjust the position of the wafer to the position corresponding to the gap. At this time, the dicing head can apply pressure to the surface of the wafer opposite to the scratches, thereby making the wafer subjected to uniform force and improving the accuracy and quality of wafer dicing. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is an isometric view of a wafer dicing apparatus provided for some embodiments of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view along a third direction of a wafer dicing apparatus provided for some embodiments of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3 This is an enlarged view of two support stages of a wafer dicing apparatus provided in some embodiments of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a wafer dicing apparatus provided for some embodiments.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a side view of a wafer processing apparatus provided in some other embodiments of the present invention.

[0020] In the figure: 100, wafer dicing device; 200, wafer scribing device; 300, robotic arm; 400, loading fixture; 500, unloading fixture; 1, base; 1a, first surface; 1b, second surface; 1c, observation port; 2, vision camera; 3, support assembly; 31, support stage; 31a, gap; 31b, support surface; 32, rotary table; 32a, receiving hole; 32b, rotating surface; 33, first guide rail; 4, dicing assembly; 41, dicing cutter head; 42, second guide rail; 43, third guide rail; 45, slider; 46, cutter holder; 47, buffer spring; 5, wafer; 5a, scratch; x, first direction; y, second direction; z, third direction. Detailed Implementation

[0021] 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.

[0022] It should be understood that in the description of this application, the terms "upper," "lower," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are used solely for the convenience of describing this application and for 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. The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. That is, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0023] Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of this application described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0024] like Figures 1-4 As shown, the wafer dicing apparatus 100 provided in some embodiments of the present invention has a first direction x, a second direction y and a third direction z that are perpendicular to each other, and includes a base 1, a vision camera 2, a support component 3 and a dicing component 4.

[0025] The base 1 has a first surface 1a, a second surface 1b arranged opposite to each other along a third direction, and an observation port 1c penetrating the base 1 along a third direction. The base 1 serves as the mounting base for the entire wafer dicing apparatus 100.

[0026] A vision camera 2 is mounted on the first surface 1a. The vision camera 2 is used to acquire image information and can display it on the display screen for easy observation.

[0027] The support assembly 3 includes two support platforms 31, which are slidably connected to the second surface 1b along the second direction y. A gap 31a extending along the first direction x is formed between the two support platforms 31, and the gap 31a corresponds to the scratch 5a on the wafer 5. The two support platforms 31 can slide relative to each other along the second direction y, thereby adjusting the width of the gap 31a to accommodate wafers 5 of different specifications. The gap 31a ensures that when the dicing head 41 applies pressure, the wafer 5 is suspended below the position corresponding to the scratch 5a, which facilitates stress concentration at the scratch 5a, thereby achieving precise dicing. Furthermore, the support platforms 31 can support the wafer 5 during the dicing process.

[0028] The dicing assembly 4 includes a dicing head 41, which is slidably mounted on the second surface 1b along a third direction. The dicing head 41 is used to apply pressure to the surface of the wafer 5 opposite to the scratch 5a.

[0029] In this embodiment, the vision camera 2, the observation port 1c, the slit 31a, and the dicing head 41 are arranged sequentially along a third direction. This facilitates observation of the relative position of the scratch on the wafer 5 and the slit 31a, and makes it easier for the dicing head 41 to apply pressure to the surface of the wafer 5 opposite to the scratch 5a.

[0030] Based on the above structural configuration, the vision camera 2 can detect the width of the slit 31a through the observation port 1c. When the wafer 5 is placed on the support stage 31, the vision camera 2 can detect the relative position of the scratch 5a on the wafer 5 and the slit 31a. It determines whether the scratch 5a is aligned with the slit 31a. If there is a deviation, the position of the wafer 5 is adjusted until the scratch 5a and the slit 31a are precisely aligned. At this time, the dicing head 41 can apply pressure to the surface of the wafer 5 opposite to the scratch 5a, concentrating the stress along the direction of the scratch 5a, making the wafer 5 subjected to uniform force, thereby improving the accuracy and quality of wafer dicing.

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the support assembly 3 further includes a rotary table 32, which is rotatably mounted on the second surface 1b about a third direction z. The rotary table 32 has a receiving hole 32a extending along the third direction z, and the support table 31 is disposed in the receiving hole 32a. Exemplarily, the rotary table 32 is a hollow rotary platform driven by a servo motor.

[0032] In this embodiment, the wafer 5 is placed on a rotating stage 32, which can rotate around a third direction z, thereby causing the wafer 5 to rotate together and realizing the angle adjustment of the wafer 5 in the horizontal plane. When the vision camera 2 detects an angular deviation between the direction of the scratch 5a on the wafer 5 and the extension direction (first direction x) of the gap 31a, the rotating stage 32 rotates to correct the angular deviation, so that the scratch 5a and the gap 31a are precisely aligned in direction.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the support stage 31 has a support surface 31b on the side near the dicing assembly 4, and the rotary stage 32 has a rotation surface 32b on the side near the dicing assembly 4. The rotation surface 32b is higher than the support surface 31b along a third direction. The wafer 5 is placed on the rotation surface 32b for easy position adjustment. Because the rotation surface 32b is higher than the support surface 31b, the wafer 5 is suspended above the support surface 31b, which facilitates the rotary stage 32 to rotate the wafer 5 to adjust its position and avoids interference between the edge of the wafer 5 and the support stage 31, thus ensuring the smoothness of position adjustment.

[0034] like Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments, along the third direction z, the distance between the rotating surface 32b and the bearing surface 31b is a, and the thickness of the wafer 5 is b, thus satisfying 0.2b≤a≤b. By limiting the distance a between the rotating surface 32b and the bearing surface 31b to between 0.2 and 1 times the thickness b of the wafer 5, sufficient clearance height is ensured when the wafer 5 is placed on the rotating surface 32b to facilitate rotation adjustment, while avoiding excessive spacing that could cause additional stress or deformation of the wafer 5 due to insufficient support during the dicing process. This achieves a good balance between the convenience of position adjustment and the stability of the dicing process.

[0035] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the supporting component 3 further includes two first slide rails 33, which are mounted on the second surface 1b, and the supporting platforms 31 are slidably connected to the first slide rails 33 in a corresponding manner. The first slide rails 33 provide guidance for the sliding of the supporting platforms 31 along the second direction y, ensuring that the two supporting platforms 31 move smoothly and are positioned accurately when adjusting the width of the gap 31a. The two supporting platforms 31 can be driven by independent drive devices (such as motor screw mechanisms) and slide along their respective first slide rails 33 to achieve precise adjustment of the width of the gap 31a.

[0036] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the dicing assembly 4 includes a second slide rail 42 and a third slide rail 43. The second slide rail 42 is mounted on the second surface 1b, and the third slide rail 43 is slidably connected to the second slide rail 42 along a first direction x. The dicing head 41 is slidably mounted on the third slide rail 43 along a third direction z. Through the cooperation of the second slide rail 42 and the third slide rail 43, the dicing head 41 can slide along the first direction x, thereby moving along the extension direction of the scratch 5a during the dicing process. The dicing head 41 is slidably mounted on the third slide rail 43 along the third direction z, so that the dicing head 41 can move up and down along the third direction z to approach or move away from the surface of the wafer 5, thereby applying pressure or resetting the wafer 5.

[0037] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the dicing assembly 4 further includes a slider 45, a cutter holder 46, and a buffer spring 47. The slider 45 is slidably mounted on the third slide rail 43 along the third direction z, the cutter holder 46 is slidably mounted on the slider 45 along the third direction z, the dicing cutter head 41 is mounted on one end of the cutter holder 46, and the buffer spring 47 is mounted on the other end of the cutter holder 46.

[0038] In this embodiment, the dicing head 41 is mounted on one end of the dicing holder 46, which is slidably mounted on the slider 45 along the third direction z, allowing the dicing holder 46 to float relative to the slider 45 along the third direction z. A buffer spring 47 is mounted on the other end of the dicing holder 46. When the dicing head 41 contacts the surface of the wafer 5 and applies pressure, the buffer spring 47 provides elastic cushioning, absorbing the impact force generated during the dicing process and preventing the dicing head 41 from rigidly contacting the wafer 5, which could lead to wafer 5 cracking or additional damage. Simultaneously, the elastic force of the buffer spring 47 allows the dicing head 41 to apply pressure to the wafer 5 in a gradually increasing manner, ensuring that the stress is applied smoothly at the scratch 5a, thus improving the dicing quality. The buffer spring 47 can also adapt to the dicing requirements of wafers 5 of different thicknesses, automatically adjusting the applied force through the spring compression, thus improving the versatility of the device.

[0039] In some embodiments, along the first direction x, the length of the observation port 1c is greater than the length of the slit 31a. This ensures that the vision camera 2 can completely observe the entire length of the slit 31a through the observation port 1c. Therefore, when the wafer 5 is placed on the support stage 31, the vision camera 2 can detect the relative positional relationship between all scratches 5a on the wafer 5 and the slit 31a, avoiding blind spots due to insufficient observation range and ensuring accurate visual inspection.

[0040] Based on the above embodiments, by cooperating with the vision camera 2 and the observation port 1c, combined with the sliding adjustment of the support stage 31 along the first slide rail 33 and the angle adjustment of the rotary table 32, the scratch 5a on the wafer 5 can be precisely positioned to correspond to the gap 31a. The dicing head 41 achieves multi-directional movement through the second slide rail 42 and the third slide rail 43, and with the elastic buffering of the buffer spring 47, it can uniformly apply force to the surface of the wafer 5 opposite to the scratch 5a, so that the wafer 5 is precisely broken along the scratch 5a.

[0041] like Figure 5 As shown, some other embodiments of the present invention provide wafer processing equipment including a wafer dicing device 200, a wafer cleaving device 100, and a robotic arm 300.

[0042] The wafer dicing apparatus 200 is used to form scratches 5a on the surface of the wafer 5. The presence of scratches 5a allows stress to concentrate along the scratches 5a during the subsequent dicing process of the wafer 5, thereby achieving precise fracture.

[0043] The wafer dicing apparatus 100 is used to dice a wafer 5 with scratches. Specifically, the relative position of the scratch 5a and the gap 31a on the wafer 5 is detected by the vision camera 2, the position of the wafer 5 is adjusted so that the scratch 5a and the gap 31a are precisely aligned, and then the dicing cutter head 41 applies pressure to the surface of the wafer 5 opposite to the scratch 5a, causing the wafer 5 to break along the scratch 5a, thus completing the dicing process.

[0044] The robotic arm 300 is used to transfer wafer 5 from the wafer dicing device 200 to the wafer dicing device 100. The robotic arm 300 enables automatic transfer of wafer 5 between different workstations, avoiding the risk of contamination and positioning errors associated with manual handling, and improving processing efficiency and automation. During the transfer process, the robotic arm 300 maintains the stable posture of wafer 5, rotating it 180° before placing it on the support platform 31 of the wafer dicing device 100.

[0045] In some embodiments, the wafer processing equipment further includes a loading fixture 400 and an unloading fixture 500. The loading fixture 400 is correspondingly arranged with the wafer dicing device 200, and the unloading fixture 500 is correspondingly arranged with the wafer dicing device 100. The loading fixture 400 is used to store the wafers 5 to be processed and to feed them to the wafer dicing device 200. The unloading fixture 500 is used to collect the diced dies. Through the configuration of the loading fixture 400 and the unloading fixture 500, automatic loading of the wafers 5 and automatic unloading of finished products are realized, further improving the automation level and production efficiency of the wafer processing equipment.

[0046] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and substitutions can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and these improvements and substitutions should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer dicing apparatus having a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction which are perpendicular to each other, characterized by, include: A base having a first surface, a second surface disposed opposite to each other along the third direction, and an observation port penetrating the base along the third direction; A vision camera, which is mounted on the first surface; The carrier assembly includes two carrier platforms, which are slidably connected to the second surface along the second direction. A gap extending along the first direction is formed between the two carrier platforms, and the gap is configured to correspond to the scratches on the wafer. as well as A dicing assembly, the dicing assembly including a dicing cutter head, the dicing cutter head being slidably mounted on the second surface along the third direction, the dicing cutter head being used to apply pressure to the surface of the wafer opposite to the scratch direction; The vision camera, the observation port, the slit, and the dicing blade are arranged sequentially along the third direction.

2. The wafer dicing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The support assembly further includes a rotating platform, which is rotatably mounted on the second surface about the third direction. The rotating platform has a receiving hole extending along the third direction, and the support platform is disposed in the receiving hole.

3. The wafer dicing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The support platform has a support surface on the side near the cleaving assembly, and the rotating platform has a rotating surface on the side near the cleaving assembly. The rotating surface is higher than the support surface along the third direction.

4. The wafer dicing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein Along the third direction, if the distance between the rotating surface and the bearing surface is a, and the thickness of the wafer is b, then 0.2b≤a≤b is satisfied.

5. The wafer dicing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support assembly also includes two first slide rails, which are mounted on the second surface, and the support platform is slidably connected to the first slide rails in a corresponding manner.

6. The wafer dicing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dicing assembly includes a second slide rail and a third slide rail. The second slide rail is mounted on the second surface, and the third slide rail is slidably connected to the second slide rail along the first direction. The dicing cutter head is slidably mounted on the third slide rail along the third direction.

7. The wafer dicing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The dicing assembly further includes a slider, a cutter holder, and a buffer spring. The slider is slidably mounted on the third slide rail along the third direction, the cutter holder is slidably mounted on the slider along the third direction, the dicing cutter head is mounted on one end of the cutter holder, and the buffer spring is mounted on the other end of the cutter holder.

8. The wafer dicing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along the first direction, the length of the observation port is greater than the length of the slit.

9. A wafer processing equipment, characterized in that, include: A wafer dicing apparatus for forming scratches on the surface of the wafer; The wafer dicing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-8 is used to dic the wafer that has been scratched; as well as A robotic arm for transferring the wafer from the wafer dicing apparatus to the wafer cleaving apparatus.

10. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes a loading fixture and an unloading fixture, wherein the loading fixture is configured corresponding to the wafer dicing device and the unloading fixture is configured corresponding to the wafer cleaving device.

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