A wafer thinning device with appearance inspection

Abstract

This invention provides a wafer thinning device with appearance inspection, comprising at least a cleaning module and an appearance inspection module. The appearance inspection module is disposed outside the cleaning enclosure and includes a vision detector, a drive mechanism, and a support frame. The vision detector is fixed to one end of the support frame, and the other end of the support frame is connected to the drive mechanism. After wafer cleaning, the drive mechanism drives the support frame to rotate, causing the vision detector to move synchronously above the wafer and scan it. The real-time scan data is transmitted to the controller, enabling automatic appearance inspection of the thinned wafer and real-time monitoring of the thinning device's operation. The thinning device terminates the operation based on the inspection results, effectively avoiding batch defects, reducing material unloading and inspection steps, improving product quality and production efficiency, and reducing equipment quality failures and material and cost losses during production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the technical field of semiconductor wafer thinning equipment, and in particular relates to a wafer thinning device with appearance inspection. Background Technology

[0002] Wafer thinning is an indispensable key step in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Its core purpose is to reduce the wafer thickness through physical or chemical means to meet the requirements of thinner and more integrated chip packaging, while improving the chip's thermal diffusion efficiency and mechanical properties, laying the foundation for subsequent packaging and system integration.

[0003] In current semiconductor wafer thinning processes, existing thinning equipment lacks a wafer appearance inspection step after wafer thinning and cleaning. The thinned wafers are directly transferred to a wafer transfer box for temporary storage. Appearance inspection is only conducted after all wafers in the batch have completed thinning, at which point they are transferred to a dedicated optical microscope for centralized inspection. If equipment process parameters fluctuate, polishing consumables wear out, or operational errors cause defects during the thinning process, the lack of a real-time detection mechanism means that subsequent wafers in the same batch will continue to be processed using the abnormal process parameters until the entire batch is completed before the problem is detected. This lag can easily lead to the spread of defects, increasing the defect rate within the same batch, raising wafer scrap costs, and potentially further affecting the quality of more batches of products if abnormal process parameters are not corrected in time, posing a significant risk to production efficiency and product quality stability. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a wafer thinning device with appearance inspection, which can solve the problem of batch abnormalities caused by the inability to detect the operation status in real time during the thinning operation in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above and other related objectives, this utility model provides a wafer thinning apparatus with appearance inspection capabilities, the apparatus comprising at least:

[0006] A cleaning module is used to perform surface cleaning on wafers after the thinning process. The cleaning module includes a cleaning workbench and a cleaning cover.

[0007] The appearance inspection module is used to perform appearance inspection on the thinned wafer after cleaning. The appearance inspection module is set outside the cleaning cover. The appearance inspection module includes a vision detector, a driving mechanism and a support frame. The vision detector is fixed on one end of the support frame and the other end of the support frame is connected to the driving mechanism. The driving mechanism drives the support frame to rotate, thereby causing the vision detector to move synchronously.

[0008] Preferably, the visual detector includes a camera and an illumination element.

[0009] Preferably, the camera includes one of a surface camera, a line camera, a 3D camera, and a 2.5D camera.

[0010] Preferably, the lighting element is provided with a control element for controlling the size of the light source.

[0011] Preferably, the drive mechanism includes an electric drive mechanism, a hydraulic drive mechanism, and a pneumatic drive mechanism.

[0012] Preferably, the support frame includes a telescopic support frame and / or a fixed support frame.

[0013] Preferably, the support frame includes a first support frame and a second support frame, the visual detector is fixed to one end of the first support frame, the other end of the first support frame is fixedly connected to one end of the second support frame, and the other end of the second support frame is connected to the drive mechanism.

[0014] Preferably, the cleaning workbench includes one of a vacuum workbench, a snap-on workbench, and an electrostatic adsorption workbench, used to adsorb and fix the wafer.

[0015] Preferably, a fan is provided above the cleaning workbench for blowing and removing dust from the surface of the wafer to be tested.

[0016] Preferably, the wafer thinning apparatus further includes a controller, the vision detector communicates with the controller, and the cleaning workbench communicates with the controller.

[0017] As described above, the wafer thinning device with appearance inspection according to this utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] By adding an external appearance inspection module to the cleaning module, the appearance inspection module includes a vision detector, a drive mechanism, and a support frame. The vision detector is fixed to one end of the support frame, and the other end of the support frame is connected to the drive mechanism. After wafer cleaning, the drive mechanism drives the support frame to rotate, causing the vision detector to move synchronously above the wafer and scan it. The real-time scan data is transmitted to the controller, enabling automatic appearance inspection of the wafer after thinning and real-time monitoring of the thinning device's operation. The thinning device terminates the operation based on the inspection results, effectively avoiding batch defects, reducing material unloading and inspection steps, improving product quality and production efficiency, and reducing equipment quality failures and material and cost losses during the production process. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a wafer thinning device with appearance inspection according to this utility model.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of another structure of a wafer thinning device with appearance inspection according to the present invention.

[0021] Component designation explanation

[0022] 100 Cleaning module 110 Cleaning workbench 120 Clean the outer cover 200 Appearance inspection module 210 Visual detector 220 Drive mechanism 230 support frame 231 First support frame 232 Second support frame 300 wafer Detailed Implementation

[0023] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification.

[0024] See Figures 1 to 2 It should be understood that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc., illustrated in the accompanying drawings are merely for illustrative purposes to aid those skilled in the art and are not intended to limit the scope of this invention. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in proportions, or adjustments to size, without affecting the effectiveness and purpose of this invention, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in this invention. Furthermore, the terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "middle," and "one" used in this specification are merely for clarity and are not intended to limit the scope of this invention. Changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, should also be considered within the scope of this invention.

[0025] See Figure 1 This utility model provides a wafer thinning device with appearance inspection. The wafer thinning device includes at least a cleaning module 100 and an appearance inspection module 200. The cleaning module 100 is used to perform surface cleaning on the wafer 300 after the thinning process. The cleaning module 100 includes a cleaning workbench 110 and a cleaning cover 120. The appearance inspection module 200 is used to perform appearance inspection on the cleaned wafer 300 after thinning. The appearance inspection module 200 is disposed outside the cleaning cover 120. The appearance inspection module 200 includes a vision detector 210, a driving mechanism 220 and a support frame 230. The vision detector 210 is fixed on one end of the support frame 230. The other end of the support frame 230 is connected to the driving mechanism 220. The driving mechanism 220 drives the support frame 230 to rotate, thereby driving the vision detector 210 to move synchronously.

[0026] Specifically, the cleaning module 100 is used to perform surface cleaning on the wafer 300 after the thinning process. A large amount of grinding slag and grinding wheel debris are generated during the thinning process. If these remain on the surface or edges of the wafer 300, they will lead to a decrease in the yield of subsequent packaging processes. Therefore, the cleaning and drying module is crucial to ensuring the cleanliness of the wafer 300.

[0027] See Figure 1 In this embodiment, the cleaning cover 120 has a hollow cavity structure, forming a closed clean space inside to isolate dust, particles, and other contaminants from the external environment, thus preventing secondary contamination of the wafer 300 surface during the cleaning process. The cleaning workbench 110 is located inside the cleaning cover 120, at the center of the bottom of the cover 120, with a flat top surface configured to support the wafer 300 to be cleaned, ensuring the wafer 300 remains stable during the cleaning process.

[0028] Specifically, the appearance inspection module 200 is used to perform appearance inspection on the thinned wafer 300 after cleaning. The appearance inspection module 200 can acquire surface image information of the wafer 300, and through analysis and processing of the image information, identify appearance anomalies that may occur in the wafer 300 during the thinning process.

[0029] In this embodiment, the vision detector 210 is designed to rest outside the cleaning enclosure 120 when not in operation, to avoid contact with liquids or cleaning media during the cleaning process. This effectively protects delicate optical components and sensors from contamination or damage, while also facilitating daily maintenance and operator inspection. After the wafer 300 completes the cleaning operation, the drive mechanism 220 drives the support frame 230 to rotate, causing the vision detector 210 to move synchronously above the cleaned wafer 300, ensuring precise alignment of the detection position. After the vision detector 210 completes the scanning operation, the system automatically triggers a reset procedure, driving the support frame 230 to rotate and return to the preset initial position via the drive mechanism 220.

[0030] Specifically, the wafer thinning device may include not only the cleaning module 100 and the appearance inspection module 200, but also a positioning module, a thinning module, and a conveying module, etc.

[0031] The positioning module is used to ensure precise positioning and secure clamping of the wafer. Before the wafer enters the thinning module to perform grinding and thinning operations, the positioning function ensures that the center of the wafer is aligned with the processing center of the thinning mechanism, and the clamping function restricts wafer displacement, avoiding defects such as thickness uniformity deviation and wafer edge chipping caused by wafer offset and vibration during the thinning process. It is a fundamental module to ensure thinning accuracy.

[0032] The thinning module is used to perform grinding and thinning operations on the wafer. Through a high-precision grinding process, the initial thickness of the wafer is uniformly reduced to the target specification to meet the thickness requirements of subsequent packaging or chip integration processes.

[0033] The conveying module is used to grip and transport the wafer. When the wafer 300 is transferred between various processing stations, such as the loading station, the thinning module, and the cleaning module 100, it can prevent the wafer 300 from being contaminated or physically damaged, thus ensuring the continuity of the processing flow and the quality of the wafer 300.

[0034] In this embodiment, the wafer thinning device adds an appearance inspection module 200 outside the cleaning module 100. After the wafer 300 is cleaned, the driving mechanism 220 can drive the support frame 230 to rotate, causing the vision detector 210 to move synchronously above the wafer 300 and scan it. The real-time scan data is transmitted to the software system, realizing automatic appearance inspection of the wafer 300 after thinning and real-time monitoring of the thinning device's operation. The thinning device determines to terminate the operation based on the inspection results, effectively avoiding batch defects, reducing material unloading and inspection processes, improving product quality and production efficiency, and reducing equipment quality failures and material and cost losses during the production process.

[0035] It should be noted that the wafer thinning device with appearance inspection function provided in this embodiment is merely an exemplary implementation and is not the only limitation on the technical solution of this application. In practical applications, the module configuration of the wafer thinning device can be adaptively adjusted according to specific process requirements, including but not limited to adding other functional modules or reducing unnecessary auxiliary modules. Such module adjustments based on the core concept of this application do not depart from the scope of the technical concept of this application.

[0036] As an example, the visual detector 210 may include a camera and an illumination element (not shown).

[0037] Specifically, the camera is used to capture images of the wafer 300, and the illumination element is used to provide a light source and is positioned beside the camera.

[0038] In this embodiment, when the vision detector 210 moves above the wafer 300, the system automatically triggers the illumination device to start, and the camera simultaneously adjusts its focus until a clear image of the wafer 300 surface is acquired. Once the image is clear, the program controls the cleaning workbench 110 to rotate slowly, and the vision detector 210 simultaneously scans the cleaning surface of the wafer 300. After completing the scan, the vision detector 210 simultaneously cuts off the power supply to the illumination device through the control circuit, ensuring that the detection equipment promptly returns to standby mode and effectively reduces energy consumption.

[0039] As an example, the camera may include, but is not limited to, one of a surface camera, a line camera, a 3D camera, and a 2.5D camera.

[0040] Specifically, surface cameras are adapted for planar defect detection, line cameras are adapted for full-surface micro-crack detection, 3D cameras are adapted for three-dimensional defect detection, and 2.5D cameras are adapted for semi-three-dimensional defect detection. The appropriate camera can be selected according to the wafer thinning process requirements and defect types.

[0041] As an example, the lighting element may be provided with a control element (not shown) for controlling the size of the light source.

[0042] Specifically, the control component and the light source within the illumination component form a linkage control relationship; the control component can adjust the luminous area range or beam projection area of ​​the light source to achieve precise control of the size of the light source, so as to adapt to the illumination requirements of different sized wafers 300 or different defect detection scenarios, and ensure the recognition accuracy of the appearance inspection module 200 for surface defects of the wafer 300.

[0043] As an example, the drive mechanism 220 may include an electric drive mechanism, a hydraulic drive mechanism, and a pneumatic drive mechanism, but is not limited thereto.

[0044] The electric drive mechanism achieves drive through the output power of the motor, and has the technical characteristics of high controllability of motion precision and fast response speed; the hydraulic drive mechanism completes the drive force output by converting hydraulic energy and mechanical energy, and is suitable for high load drive scenarios; the pneumatic drive mechanism provides drive force by using gas pressure difference, and has the advantages of simplified structure and convenient maintenance. The corresponding type of drive mechanism 220 can be selected according to the load requirements, precision requirements and environmental adaptability of the actual working conditions.

[0045] As an example, the support frame 230 may include a telescopic support frame and / or a fixed support frame.

[0046] Specifically, the telescopic support frame can adjust its support height or support range through its telescopic structure to adapt to the support requirements of different sized wafers 300 and the space adaptation scenarios of different workstations within the equipment; the fixed support frame is a rigid structure with a preset support size, which has the characteristic of high support stability and is suitable for the normal support scenario of fixed-size wafers 300. Depending on the actual support requirements of the wafer thinning process, a single type of support frame or a combination of two types of support frames can be selected.

[0047] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1As shown, the support frame 230 adopts a fixed support frame structure, which is a rigid support component of a preset size. It forms a stable support structure through integrated molding or rigid connection to ensure the positional stability of the components assembled on it during operation. The drive mechanism 220 adopts an electric drive mechanism, which includes a servo motor and a transmission component. Through the linkage between the motor output shaft and the transmission component, high-precision motion control of the connected components can be achieved to meet the positional adjustment requirements during the wafer appearance inspection process.

[0048] In another embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the support frame 230 is a telescopic support frame, which includes at least two support units that can slide axially relative to each other. That is, the support frame 230 may include a first support frame 231 and a second support frame 232. The visual detector 210 is fixed on one end of the first support frame 231, and the other end of the first support frame 231 is fixedly connected to one end of the second support frame 232. The other end of the second support frame 232 is connected to the drive mechanism 220.

[0049] The first support frame 231 is a fixed support frame, and the second support frame 232 is a telescopic support frame. The overall length can be adjusted through the telescopic cooperation between the units. The drive mechanism 220 is configured to have both rotary drive and telescopic drive functions. It includes a rotary drive component and a linear drive component. The rotary drive component can drive the telescopic support frame to rotate, and the linear drive component can drive the support units of the telescopic support frame to slide relative to each other to achieve axial extension and retraction. Through the coordinated cooperation of the two drive actions, the components mounted on the telescopic support frame can flexibly adjust their spatial position and posture to adapt to the testing requirements of wafers 300 of different specifications.

[0050] Of course, depending on the needs, the support frame 230, which has the first support frame 231 and the second support frame 232, can also be the fixed support frame.

[0051] As an example, the cleaning workbench 110 may include one of a vacuum workbench, a snap-fit ​​workbench, and an electrostatic adsorption workbench, but is not limited thereto. The cleaning workbench 100 is used to adsorb and fix the wafer 300.

[0052] Specifically, the vacuum stage fixes the wafer 300 through negative pressure adsorption, which is suitable for non-destructive fixing of thin wafers; the snap-on stage achieves edge positioning and fixing of the wafer 300 through a mechanical snap-on structure, which is suitable for stable clamping of thick wafers; the electrostatic adsorption stage uses electrostatic attraction to adsorb the wafer 300, which is suitable for non-contact fixing requirements during high-precision cleaning, and the corresponding type of stage can be selected according to the wafer thickness and cleaning precision requirements.

[0053] As an example, a fan (not shown) may also be installed above the cleaning workbench 110 for blowing and removing dust from the surface of the wafer 300 to be tested.

[0054] Specifically, the air outlet of the fan is set to face the surface of the wafer 300 to be tested. By directionally outputting airflow, impurities attached to the surface of the wafer 300 to be tested are removed, thereby improving the cleanliness of the wafer 300 surface and providing better basic conditions for subsequent testing processes.

[0055] As an example, the wafer thinning apparatus may further include a controller (not shown), the vision detector 210 communicating with the controller, and the cleaning workbench 110 communicating with the controller.

[0056] Specifically, the vision detector 210 can transmit the collected wafer appearance inspection data to the controller in real time; after analyzing and processing the data, the controller feeds back the results to the thinning device in real time; according to the cleaning process requirements, the controller can adjust the rotation speed of the cleaning workbench 110. By adjusting the rotation speed parameters of the cleaning workbench 110, it can adapt to the removal characteristics of different surface contaminants of the wafer 300, ensuring the balance between the uniformity of force on the wafer 300 and the cleaning effect during the cleaning process, and improving the adaptability and reliability of the cleaning process. According to the wafer appearance inspection data, the controller can also adjust the angle of the cleaning workbench 110 to move the abnormal part of the wafer 300 to below the vision detector 210, so that the vision detector 210 can better collect clear and complete wafer appearance images.

[0057] In this embodiment, the thinning module terminates its operation based on the determination result of the appearance inspection module 200. When the appearance inspection module 200 performs real-time monitoring of the wafer 300 surface, if it determines that there are no abnormalities on the wafer 300 surface, the equipment operates normally, and the thinning module continues to run according to predetermined process parameters to ensure the stable progress of the wafer 300 thinning process. Conversely, if the appearance inspection module 200 detects abnormalities such as cracks, dirt, or edge breakage on the wafer 300 surface, the equipment will immediately trigger an alarm mechanism and execute a shutdown procedure. At this time, the grinding axis will not immediately stop its operation but will prioritize completing the currently ongoing grinding step (to avoid process risks or equipment damage caused by sudden stops). After the current action is completed, the thinning module immediately stops operating, thereby ensuring production safety and equipment stability while achieving timely response and handling of abnormal wafers 300. When the system detects abnormal results on the surface of wafer 300, engineers can quickly operate through a professional software interface to flexibly adjust the camera position of the vision detector 210 to the target area, and simultaneously control the cleaning workbench 110 to perform precise rotation and positioning, thereby establishing the best observation angle directly above wafer 300, realizing real-time high-definition observation and manual verification of suspicious defects or contaminated areas, ensuring the accuracy of detection results and the timeliness of problem handling.

[0058] In summary, this utility model provides a wafer thinning device with appearance inspection, comprising at least a cleaning module and an appearance inspection module. The appearance inspection module is disposed outside the cleaning enclosure and includes a vision detector, a drive mechanism, and a support frame. The vision detector is fixed to one end of the support frame, and the other end of the support frame is connected to the drive mechanism. After wafer cleaning, the drive mechanism drives the support frame to rotate, causing the vision detector to move synchronously above the wafer and scan it. The real-time scan data is transmitted to the controller, enabling automatic appearance inspection of the wafer after thinning and real-time monitoring of the thinning device's operation. The thinning device terminates the operation based on the inspection results, effectively avoiding batch defects, reducing material unloading and inspection steps, improving product quality and production efficiency, and reducing equipment quality failures and material and cost losses during production. Therefore, this utility model effectively overcomes the various shortcomings of the prior art and has high industrial application value.

[0059] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of this utility model. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this utility model. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in this utility model should still be covered by the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A wafer thinning apparatus with appearance inspection, characterized in that, The wafer thinning apparatus includes at least: A cleaning module is used to perform surface cleaning on wafers after the thinning process. The cleaning module includes a cleaning workbench and a cleaning cover. The appearance inspection module is used to perform appearance inspection on the thinned wafer after cleaning. The appearance inspection module is set outside the cleaning cover. The appearance inspection module includes a vision detector, a driving mechanism and a support frame. The vision detector is fixed on one end of the support frame and the other end of the support frame is connected to the driving mechanism. The driving mechanism drives the support frame to rotate, thereby causing the vision detector to move synchronously.

2. The wafer thinning apparatus with appearance inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The visual detector includes a camera and an illumination device.

3. The wafer thinning apparatus with appearance inspection according to claim 2, characterized in that: The camera includes one of the following: a surface camera, a line camera, a 3D camera, and a 2.5D camera.

4. The wafer thinning apparatus with appearance inspection according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lighting element is equipped with a control element for controlling the size of the light source.

5. The wafer thinning apparatus with appearance inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive mechanism includes an electric drive mechanism, a hydraulic drive mechanism, and a pneumatic drive mechanism.

6. The wafer thinning apparatus with appearance inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support frame includes a telescopic support frame and / or a fixed support frame.

7. The wafer thinning apparatus with appearance inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support frame includes a first support frame and a second support frame. The visual detector is fixed to one end of the first support frame. The other end of the first support frame is fixedly connected to one end of the second support frame. The other end of the second support frame is connected to the drive mechanism.

8. The wafer thinning apparatus with appearance inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning workbench includes one of a vacuum workbench, a snap-fit ​​workbench, and an electrostatic adsorption workbench, used to adsorb and fix wafers.

9. The wafer thinning apparatus with appearance inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: A fan is installed above the cleaning workbench to blow away dust from the surface of the wafer to be tested.

10. The wafer thinning apparatus with appearance inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer thinning apparatus further includes a controller, the vision detector communicates with the controller, and the cleaning workbench communicates with the controller.

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