Wafer edge trimming device and wafer processing apparatus

Abstract

This application provides a wafer trimming device and a wafer processing equipment. The wafer trimming device includes: a frame, including a crossbeam and a longitudinal track below the crossbeam; a stage, which can slide along the longitudinal track for horizontally supporting the wafer and driving the wafer to rotate; and two trimming components, which are respectively mounted on the crossbeam by two moving components and moved laterally and vertically by the moving components. Each trimming component includes a cutting wheel extending longitudinally along its axis, and the cutting wheel continues to rotate after the wafer trimming device is started. The wafer trimming device is configured such that: the stage can move so that the lateral diameter of the wafer with an annular cut with a right-angled step on its outer periphery matches the longitudinal position of the cutting wheel; the two trimming components move laterally until the two cutting wheels are at both ends of the lateral diameter of the wafer and simultaneously contact the corner of the right-angled step downwards to cut the corner of the right-angled step into an arc-shaped notch and remove the adhesive bumps accumulated at the corners during wafer coating.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor wafer processing technology, specifically to a wafer trimming device and wafer processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of 3DIC (3D Chip Stacking) 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 edge trimming, a critical process before stacking, requires specialized equipment to grind the wafer edges into annular stepped grooves of a specific depth to ensure the reliability of the stacking process.

[0003] Furthermore, after the conventional trimming process, wafers require coating and photolithography. During coating, bumps are generated at the edges. Angle trimming can remove these bumps, improving the quality and yield of subsequent semiconductor processes. Current trimming machine stage layouts can only perform unilateral angle trimming using a single blade. This results in poor force uniformity and motion stability of the wafer stage and its rotation drive mechanism, reducing wafer processing accuracy. Additionally, the trimming assembly and inspection mechanism are mounted on the same moving mechanism, affecting the inspection accuracy of the inspection mechanism. Utility Model Content

[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 a longitudinal track below the crossbeam; a stage slidable along the longitudinal track for horizontally supporting a wafer and driving the wafer to rotate; and two trimming assemblies, each mounted on the crossbeam by two movable components and moved laterally and vertically by the movable components, each trimming assembly including a cutting wheel extending longitudinally along its axis, the cutting wheel continuously rotating after the wafer trimming apparatus is started; the wafer trimming apparatus is configured such that: the stage is movable to match the lateral diameter of the wafer having an annular cut with a right-angled step on its outer periphery with the longitudinal position of the cutting wheel; the two trimming assemblies move laterally until the two cutting wheels are at both ends of the lateral diameter of the wafer and simultaneously contact the corner of the right-angled step downwards to cut the corner of the right-angled step into an arc-shaped notch and remove the adhesive bumps accumulated at the corner during wafer coating.

[0006] Optionally, the wafer trimming apparatus is further configured such that: the stage is movable to match one end of the longitudinal diameter of the untrimmed wafer with the longitudinal position of the cutting wheel, and one of the trimming components moves laterally until its cutting wheel is at the longitudinal diameter of the wafer and contacts the wafer downward to cut the wafer into a wafer with the annular cut on its outer periphery.

[0007] Optionally, it further includes: another longitudinal track located below the crossbeam and parallel to the longitudinal track, on which another stage is slidably mounted; and an inspection mechanism for inspecting the wafer before trimming, the inspection mechanism being located on the upstream side of the crossbeam, and two trimming components being located on the downstream side of the crossbeam, the wafer on the stage being moved with the stage to the downstream side of the crossbeam for trimming after inspection; the wafer trimming device is configured to: trim the wafer on one stage on the downstream side of the crossbeam, while simultaneously inspecting the wafer on the other stage on the upstream side of the crossbeam; both the trimming components and the inspection mechanism can slide across the two longitudinal tracks to alternately trim and inspect the wafers on the two stages.

[0008] Optionally, the detection mechanism includes a center detector mounted to the crossbeam via another moving component. 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.

[0009] Optionally, the detection mechanism further includes a thickness detector mounted to the crossbeam via another movable component. 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 being circumferentially and evenly distributed on the outer edge of the upper surface of the wafer.

[0010] 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.

[0011] 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.

[0012] 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.

[0013] Optionally, it also includes: a vertically extending partition disposed below the crossbeam, used to separate the upstream and downstream areas of the crossbeam into a detection area and a cutting area, so as to prevent contaminants generated during wafer trimming in the cutting area from splashing onto the detection mechanism in the detection area.

[0014] Optionally, it also includes a transfer area located upstream of the detection area. The stage slides along the longitudinal track in 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.

[0015] According to another aspect of this application, a wafer processing apparatus is provided, comprising: a wafer trimming apparatus as described above; a wafer cleaning apparatus for cleaning the trimmed wafer; and a wafer transport apparatus.

[0016] According to the wafer trimming apparatus and wafer processing equipment of this application, symmetrical angle trimming of the wafer by dual blades is realized, which greatly reduces the stage vibration instability and uneven force on the motor caused by angle trimming by a single blade, thereby improving the trimming accuracy of the wafer, reducing the wear of components such as the motor, and increasing the service life of the motor. Attached Figure Description

[0017] 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.

[0018] Figure 1 A side view diagram for wafer dicing;

[0019] Figure 2 A side view of a wafer coated with colloid after edge trimming;

[0020] Figure 3 A side view diagram for wafer angle trimming;

[0021] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a wafer trimming device;

[0022] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A top view of the wafer trimming device in the middle;

[0023] Figure 6 It shows Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the wafer trimming device from another angle;

[0024] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a wafer trimming apparatus according to one embodiment of this application is shown;

[0025] Figure 8 It shows Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the wafer trimming device from another angle;

[0026] Figure 9 It shows Figure 7 A top view of the wafer trimming device in the middle;

[0027] Figure 10 A flowchart of a wafer fabrication method according to one embodiment of this application is shown, wherein the actions on the two stages are drawn separately;

[0028] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a wafer trimming apparatus according to another embodiment of this application is shown;

[0029] Figure 12 It shows Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the wafer trimming device from another angle;

[0030] Figure 13 It shows Figure 11 A top view of the wafer trimming device in the middle;

[0031] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to one embodiment of this application is shown.

[0032] 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;

[0033] Wafer backside cleaning unit 210; wafer rotation cleaning unit 220; measurement unit 300; robotic arm 410; gripper 420; front-end storage module 500. Detailed Implementation

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] like Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of wafer trimming. The cutter wheel 61 forms a right-angled step-shaped cut at the edge of the wafer. During trimming, the wafer rotates around its axis, thus forming a ring-shaped cut along the outer periphery of the wafer. After trimming, a wafer with a ring-shaped cut on its outer periphery is obtained. Following the trimming process, as... Figure 2 A photoresist coating process is required, 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 typically performed, such as... 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.

[0038] 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 disposed below the crossbeam 10. For example, the crossbeam 10 extends along the X-axis direction in the figure, the longitudinal track 30 extends along the Y-axis direction, and the columns 20 extend along the Z-axis direction. 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. In this arrangement of the trimming assembly 60, the two cutter wheels 61 cannot simultaneously trim the wafer's angle. During the angle trimming process, the stage 50 is subjected to force on one side, causing uneven force distribution and resulting in horizontal skew or vibration, reducing the wafer's positional accuracy and thus affecting the trimming precision. On the other hand, the long-term uneven force distribution on the stage 50 will cause excessive wear of the bearings inside the motor 51, reducing the control accuracy of the motor 51 and severely affecting its service life.

[0039] on the other hand, Figure 6 It shows Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the wafer trimming device 100 from another angle. It can be seen that the trimming device 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. 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.

[0040] 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:

[0041] The frame includes a crossbeam 10 and a longitudinal track 30 below the crossbeam 10;

[0042] The stage 50 can slide along the longitudinal track 30 and is used to horizontally support the wafer and drive the wafer to rotate.

[0043] Two trimming assemblies 60 are mounted on the crossbeam 10 via two moving components. The moving 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 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.

[0044] The wafer trimming apparatus 100 is configured 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 wafer's longitudinal diameter and contacts the wafer downwards, cutting the wafer into an annular cut with a right-angled step cross-section. During the angle trimming process, such as... Figure 7 and Figure 9As 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.

[0045] See Figure 1 and Figure 3 Regarding the two processes of edge trimming and angle trimming, in terms of the pressure between the wafer and the cutting wheel 61, during edge trimming, the wafer is mainly subjected to vertically downward pressure; during angle trimming, the wafer is subjected to vertically downward pressure and horizontal radial inward pressure. Regarding the friction between the wafer and the cutting wheel 61, during edge trimming, the wafer is mainly subjected to friction along the horizontal tangential direction along the wafer circumference; during angle trimming, the wafer is subjected to friction along the horizontal tangential direction along the wafer circumference and friction along the obliquely downward tangential direction (or the obliquely downward tangential direction of the arc-shaped notch) along the circumference of the cutting wheel 61. Therefore, compared with the single-sided cutting wheel 61 for angle trimming, the force situation when the single-sided cutting wheel 61 is used for edge trimming is simpler, and the impact on the force and vibration of the stage 50 supporting the wafer and the motor 51 driving the stage 50 is smaller. However, the force situation when the single-sided cutting wheel 61 is used for angle trimming is more complex. It will generate pressure, friction and corresponding torque in multiple directions such as horizontal, vertical and tangential directions on the wafer. This will have a greater impact on the force on the stage 50 supporting the wafer and the motor 51 driving the stage 50. It is easy to cause irregular vibration of the stage 50, which will affect the processing accuracy of the wafer. It is also more likely to cause uneven force on the motor 51, resulting in excessive wear of the bearings inside the motor 51, reducing the accuracy and service life of the motor 51.

[0046] Therefore, the wafer trimming apparatus 100 of this application achieves symmetrical angle trimming of the wafer by the dual-blade wheel 61, greatly reducing the vibration instability of the stage 50 and the uneven force on the motor 51 caused by angle trimming by a single-sided blade wheel 61. This improves the trimming accuracy of the wafer and reduces wear on components such as the motor, thus extending the motor's service life. Furthermore, the wafer trimming apparatus 100 of this application can also be used for edge trimming. Although edge trimming is performed by a single-sided blade wheel 61, the impact on the force on the stage 50 and motor 51 is small, with minimal difference compared to edge trimming by a dual-sided blade wheel 61. Therefore, a high-precision wafer with a ring-shaped edge can still be obtained. Alternatively, in an optional embodiment, the wafer trimming apparatus 100 of this application may not perform the edge trimming process, thereby completely avoiding the uneven force on the stage 50 and motor 51 when edge trimming by a single-sided blade wheel 61.

[0047] In a preferred embodiment, the wafer trimming apparatus 100 further includes another longitudinal track 30 disposed below the crossbeam 10 and parallel to the longitudinal track 30, on which another stage 50 is slidably disposed, i.e., having parallel double longitudinal tracks 30 and double stages 50. 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, it moves with the stage 50 to the downstream side of the crossbeam 10 for trimming. In this paper, upstream and downstream refer to the workflow or the wafer transport path. Typically, the wafer is inspected first and then trimmed; therefore, the inspection mechanism 70 is located upstream (i.e., the wafer is trimmed after inspection). 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. Therefore, by independently setting up 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, which greatly improves the wafer processing efficiency, i.e., WPH (wafers per hour). 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.

[0048] In a further embodiment, the wafer trimming apparatus 100 may further include a vertically extending partition disposed below the crossbeam 10, for dividing the upstream and downstream regions of the crossbeam 10 into a detection area and a cutting area (e.g., Figure 9 (As shown in the dashed box in the figure), to further reduce the sputtering of contaminants generated during wafer trimming in the cutting zone onto the inspection mechanism 70 in the inspection zone. Furthermore, the wafer trimming apparatus 100 also includes a transfer zone located upstream of the inspection zone, where the stage 50 slides along the longitudinal track 30 to the transfer zone to receive the wafer to be trimmed, and then sequentially passes through the inspection zone and the cutting zone to complete wafer inspection and trimming.

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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 61, and further determine the feed rate of the cutter wheel 61 based on the diameter of the cutter wheel 61. Furthermore, the wafer trimming apparatus 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, in order 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.

[0052] In specific implementation methods, such as Figure 6 and Figure 7 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 The center detector 74 and the thickness detector 75 can be mounted to the same moving assembly via a mounting plate, while the tool wheel detector 76 can be mounted separately to another moving assembly.

[0053] The wafer trimming apparatus 100 of this application can also be used to perform a wafer processing method. For ease of description, the two stages 50 can be referred to as a first stage and a second stage. The wafer processing method includes:

[0054] S1: 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.

[0055] S2: The inspection mechanism 70 moves along the crossbeam 10 to the first stage and performs wafer inspection;

[0056] 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 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.

[0057] S4: 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.

[0058] 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 61.

[0059] S6: 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.

[0060] S7: 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.

[0061] The subsequent loop operations will not be described in detail. For example... Figure 10The 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 10 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.

[0062] 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.

[0063] In an optional embodiment, the wafer fabrication method further includes performing an edge trimming process before performing the angle trimming process described in steps S1-S7. For example, the wafer fabrication method further includes:

[0064] 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;

[0065] S02: The inspection mechanism 70 moves along the crossbeam 10 to the first stage and performs wafer inspection;

[0066] 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.

[0067] 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). At the same time, the detection mechanism 70 moves along the crossbeam 10 to the second stage to detect the wafer.

[0068] 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.

[0069] 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.

[0070] 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.

[0071] The subsequent cyclic operations will not be described in detail. Similarly, each stage 50 reciprocates the wafer transfer-inspection-trimming operation, and the two stages 50 perform inspection and trimming simultaneously. Preferably, after the wafer is trimmed and removed from the stage 50, it can be transferred to the wafer cleaning device via the wafer transfer device for cleaning and drying operations.

[0072] It should be understood that "trimming" includes cutting edges and angle adjustment. In the aforementioned angle adjustment process, trimming specifically refers to angle adjustment, and in the aforementioned cutting process, trimming specifically refers to cutting edges.

[0073] Furthermore, according to another aspect of this application, for situations where the quality of the edge trimming process is of paramount importance, the precision requirements for the edge trimming process are extremely high, or angle adjustment is not required, this application also provides a wafer trimming apparatus 100 that uses dual-sided cutting wheels 61 for symmetrical edge trimming, and employs dual platforms 50 to separate the inspection area and the trimming area, thereby effectively reducing the amount of cooling water and processing debris splashing onto the blade inspection mechanism 70 during the trimming process, preventing a decrease in the precision of the inspection mechanism 70 or damage to its components; in addition, inspection and trimming can be performed simultaneously, greatly improving wafer processing efficiency. Specifically, as Figures 11-13 As shown, the wafer trimming device 100 includes:

[0074] The frame includes a crossbeam 10 and a longitudinal track 30 below the crossbeam 10;

[0075] Two platforms 50 slide along juxtaposed longitudinal tracks 30 to horizontally support the wafer and drive its rotation.

[0076] Two trimming components 60 are respectively installed on the upstream side of the crossbeam 10 via two moving components. The moving components drive the trimming components 60 to move horizontally and vertically. The two trimming components 60 include blade wheels 61 with their axes extending horizontally and arranged opposite each other. The blade wheels 61 rotate continuously during the operation of the wafer trimming device 100.

[0077] The testing unit 70 is installed on the downstream side of the crossbeam 10 via a movable component;

[0078] The wafer trimming device 100 is further configured such that: the stage 50 can move to match the lateral diameter of the untrimmed wafer with the longitudinal position of the cutting wheel 61; the two trimming components 60 move laterally until their cutting wheels 61 are at both ends of the lateral diameter of the wafer and contact the wafer downwards, thereby cutting the wafer into a ring-shaped cut with a right-angled step on the outer periphery. Furthermore, the wafer trimming device 100 is configured such that: the wafer on one stage 50 is trimmed downstream of the crossbeam 10, while the wafer on the other stage 50 is inspected upstream of the crossbeam 10; both the trimming components 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. The specific trimming process and steps S1-S7 are as follows: Figure 10 Similar to the description in the text, each stage 50 reciprocates the wafer transfer-inspection-trimming action, and the two stages 50 perform inspection and trimming simultaneously, which will not be elaborated here.

[0079] This application also provides a wafer processing device, such as... Figure 14 This equipment may include the aforementioned wafer trimming device 100, wafer cleaning device, wafer transfer device, and measurement unit 300. 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 transfer device is used to transfer wafers between the wafer trimming device 100, the wafer cleaning device, or other wafer processing or storage units. The wafer transfer device may include a multi-axis rotatable robot arm 410 as shown in the figure, or a gripper 420 that can transfer wafers along a linear track. Furthermore, the wafer processing equipment may also include a front-end storage module 500 located at the front end of the equipment for storing wafers to be processed or already processed.

[0080] 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 100.

[0081] 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 edge trimming device, characterized by, include: The frame includes a crossbeam and longitudinal rails below the crossbeam; The stage can slide along the longitudinal track and is used to horizontally support the wafer and drive the wafer to rotate; Two trimming components are mounted on the crossbeam by two moving components and moved laterally and vertically by the moving components. Each trimming component includes a blade wheel extending longitudinally along its axis. The blade wheel rotates continuously after the wafer trimming device is started. The wafer trimming device is configured such that: the stage can move so that the transverse diameter of the wafer with an annular cut with a right-angle step on the outer periphery matches the longitudinal position of the cutting wheel; the two trimming components move laterally to the two cutting wheels at the two ends of the transverse 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 corners when the wafer is coated with adhesive.

2. The wafer edge trimming apparatus of claim 1, wherein The wafer trimming apparatus is further configured such that: the stage is movable to match one end of the longitudinal diameter of the untrimmed wafer with 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 to cut the wafer into a wafer with the annular cut on its outer periphery.

3. The wafer edge trimming apparatus of claim 1, wherein Also includes: Another longitudinal rail is located below the crossbeam and parallel to the longitudinal rail, on which another platform is slidably mounted; as well as The inspection mechanism is used to inspect the wafer 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. After the wafer on the stage has completed inspection, it moves with the stage to the downstream side of the crossbeam for trimming. The wafer trimming device is configured such that a wafer on one stage is trimmed on the downstream side of the crossbeam, while a wafer on another stage is inspected on the upstream side of the crossbeam; both the trimming assembly and the inspection mechanism can slide across two longitudinal tracks to alternately trim and inspect the wafers on the two stages.

4. The wafer edge trimming apparatus of claim 3, wherein The detection mechanism includes a center detector mounted to the crossbeam via another moving component. 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.

5. The wafer edge trimming apparatus of claim 3, wherein The detection mechanism also includes a thickness detector mounted to the crossbeam via another movable component. 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.

6. The wafer edge trimming apparatus of claim 3, wherein 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.

7. The wafer edge trimming apparatus of claim 6, wherein 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.

8. The wafer trimming apparatus according to any one of claims 1-7, 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.

9. The wafer trimming apparatus as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: A vertically extending partition located below the crossbeam is used to divide the upstream and downstream areas of the crossbeam into a detection area and a cutting area, so as to prevent contaminants generated during wafer trimming in the cutting area from splashing onto the detection mechanism in the detection area.

10. The wafer edge trimming apparatus of claim 9, wherein, It also includes a transfer area located upstream of the detection area. The stage slides along the longitudinal track in 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.

11. A wafer processing apparatus characterized by comprising: include: The wafer trimming apparatus as described in any one of claims 1-10; A wafer cleaning device is used to clean wafers after they have been trimmed. as well as Wafer transport device.

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