Protective element removal device and strap fastening device

Abstract

Protective element removal device (1) for removing a protective element from a workpiece (200) in which the protective element (210) is attached to a first surface (203) thereof, wherein the protective element removal device (1) comprises: a clamping table (10) which holds the workpiece (200) from one side of a second surface (207) on a side opposite the first surface; a pull-off unit (3) that pulls the protective element (210) which is attached to the first surface (203) of the workpiece which is held by the clamping table away from the workpiece; a protective element detection unit (70) which, after the protective element (210) has been removed by the removal unit (3), detects whether the protective element (210) is present on the first surface (203) of the workpiece or not; and an alarm unit that issues an alarm when the protective element detection unit has detected the protective element, wherein the protective element (210) has a plurality of resin layers, and the protective element detection unit (70) has an optical sensor or an ultrasonic sensor that detects a distance to the workpiece (10) that is held by the clamping table (10).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a protective member peeling device and a tape fastening device. Description of the state of the art

[0002] A semiconductor device wafer, a resin package substrate, or a plate-shaped workpiece mounted with various types of components is ground thin and divided along streets to produce individual component chips. During grinding and dividing, the workpiece is typically held by a chuck table on one surface and machined from the other. In this case, the surface held by the chuck table is protected by a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, a resin film, or a liquid resin that can be cured by an external stimulus, or the like.

[0003] When the workpiece is sanded, the so-called back surface is sanded, and when the workpiece is split, it is split from the front surface, thus reattaching the protective element. Therefore, a belt holder with a reattachment function is used.

[0004] The tape holder comprises a fixing unit for fixing, for example, a dicing tape to the back of the workpiece to which the protective member is fixed on the front surface side, and a peeling device for peeling the protective member on the front surface side after the dicing tape is fixed by the fixing unit (see, for example, JP 2012 - 28 478 A).

[0005] The documents DE 10 2017 209 851 A1, JP 2002 - 316 087 A and KR 10 2007 0 038 727 A disclose further prior art. PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] However, the peeling device disclosed in JP 2012 - 28 478 A has a problem that it may be difficult to peel off the protective member due to the diversity of the protective member, a change in the design on the front surface side (e.g., to have electrode protrusions with a height of more than 100 µm), or the like.

[0007] Furthermore, in the case of a multi-layer protective member, the peeling apparatus disclosed in JP 2012-28478 A can peel only a surface layer, leaving a lower layer as it is. If the workpiece proceeds to a cutting step while the lower layer of the protective member remains on the workpiece, it may be impossible to perform alignment at the time of dicing, or the cutting blade may be damaged by cutting the protective member.

[0008] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a protective member peeling device and a tape fastening device by which the presence or absence of a remaining protective member can be determined.

[0009] The present invention is defined by the protective element removal device according to the features of independent patent claim 1 and the band fastening device according to the features of independent patent claim 4. The dependent claims relate to preferred developments.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a protective member peeling device for peeling a protective member from a workpiece in which the protective member is fixed to a first surface thereof, the protective member peeling device comprising a chuck table that holds the workpiece from the side of a second surface opposite to the first surface; a peeling unit that peels the protective member fixed to the first surface of the workpiece held by the chuck table from the workpiece; a protective member detecting unit that detects, after the protective member is peeled off by the peeling unit, whether or not the protective member is present on the first surface of the workpiece; and an alarm unit that outputs an alarm that the protective member detecting unit has detected the protective member.

[0011] Preferably, the protective element detection unit is selected from an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor and a camera.

[0012] Preferably, the protective member comprises two or more resin layers, and the protective member detecting unit determines whether all of the plurality of resin layers remain or only the resin on an exposed surface side of the plurality of resin layers has been peeled off, and, based on the result of the determination, the remaining protective member is peeled off again by the peeling off unit.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape fastening device that peels a protective member attached to a first surface of a workpiece from the workpiece, the tape fastening device comprising a tape fastening unit that attaches a tape to a second surface on the side opposite to the first surface of the workpiece; and a protective member peeling device that peels the protective member from the first surface of the workpiece, the protective member peeling device comprising a chuck table that holds the workpiece from the second surface side; a peeling unit that peels the protective member attached to the first surface of the workpiece held by the chuck table from the workpiece;a protective element detection unit that detects whether or not the protective element is present on the first surface of the workpiece after the protective element is peeled off by the peeling unit; and an alarm unit that issues an alarm that the protective element detection unit has detected the protective element.

[0014] The present invention makes it possible to detect the presence or absence of a remaining protective element.

[0015] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the modes for carrying them out, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by studying the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings which show a preferred embodiment of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a workpiece from which a protective member has been peeled off by a protective member peeling device according to an embodiment; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a larger part of the Fig. 1 workpiece shown; Fig. 3 is a side view schematically illustrating, partly in section, a general configuration of a tape fastening unit of a tape fastening device according to an embodiment; Fig. 4 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a general configuration of the protective member peeling device according to the embodiment; Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a state in which the Fig. 4, the protective element removing device detects whether or not a protective element is present on a front surface of a workpiece held by a chuck table; Fig. Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing a state in which the Fig. 4, the protective element removing device applies a heat seal to a protective element attached to the front surface of the workpiece held by the clamping table; Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing an example of a state in which the Fig. 4, the protective element removing device removes the protective element attached to the front surface of the workpiece held by the clamping table; Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing an example of a state in which the Fig. 4, the protective element removal device detects whether the protective element is present or not after the protective element attached to the front surface of the workpiece held by the clamping table has been removed; Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing another example of a state in which the Fig. 4, the protective element removing device removes the protective element attached to the front surface of the workpiece held by the clamping table; Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing another example of a state in which the Fig. 4, the protective element removal device detects whether the protective element is present or not after the protective element attached to the front surface of the workpiece held by the clamping table has been removed; and Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing an example of a state in which the Fig. 4, the protective element removal device again removes the protective element, a part of which remains on the front surface of the workpiece held by the clamping table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0016] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0017] A protective element peeling device and a tape fastening device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. According to the embodiment, a tape fastening device 100, a part of which is shown in FIG. Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 is shown, and one in Fig. 4 illustrated protective element removal device 1 means for removing a protective element 210, a part of which is in Fig. 2 is shown, from a Fig. 1. The workpiece 200 from which the protective member 210 is peeled off by the protective member peeling device 1 according to the embodiment is a wafer such as a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer or a wafer for an optical device, which includes silicon (Si), sapphire (Al2O3), gallium arsenide (GaAs), silicon carbide (SiC), or the like as the substrate 201.

[0018] The workpiece 200 is formed with components 204 in each of the areas of a front surface 203, which is a surface on one side divided by a plurality of intersecting streets 202. As shown in Fig. 2, each device 204 includes protrusions 205 connected to the electrodes of each component 204 and projecting from the front surface 203. The component 204 is, for example, an integrated circuit, including an integrated circuit (IC) or a large-scale integration (LSI), an image sensor such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), or a microelectromechanical system (MEMS). The protrusions 205 contain a conductive metal and, in the embodiment, have a spherical shape. The protrusions 205 serve to electrically connect the components 204 to the electrodes of the substrate or the like on which the components 204 are mounted. In the embodiment, the workpiece 200 has the projections 205 projecting from the front surface 203, wherein the front surface 203 is formed with unevennesses (elevations and depressions).Furthermore, while the workpiece 200 has the protrusions 205 and is formed with unevenness in the front surface 203 in the embodiment, in the present invention, it may not have the protrusions 205. Furthermore, the workpiece 200 in the present invention is not limited to a wafer and may be a rectangular resin package substrate with a plurality of components sealed with a resin, a ceramic plate, a glass plate, or the like.

[0019] Furthermore, the workpiece 200 may have a functional layer 206 deposited on the front surface of the substrate 201. The functional layer 206 comprises a low-dielectric-constant insulator coating (hereinafter referred to as a low-k film), including an inorganic film of fluorinated silicon oxide (SiOF), borosilicate glass (BSG), a silicon optical bench (SiOB), or the like, or an organic film that is a polyimide- or parylene-based polymer film, and a conductor film containing a conductive metal. The low-k film is stacked with the conductor film to form the device 204. The conductor film forms a circuit of the device 204. Thus, the device 204 comprises the stacked low-k films and the conductor film stacked between the low-k films. Note that the functional layer 206 of the street 202 includes the low-k film but no conductor film except for a test element group (TEG).The TEG is an evaluation element for finding design- or manufacturing-based problems that occur in the devices 204.

[0020] In the embodiment, the workpiece 200 has the protective member 210 attached to the front surface side, is ground on the back surface 207 side in a state where the front surface 203 side is held by a chuck table of a grinding device through the protective member 210 to be thinned to a predetermined final thickness, and is thereafter divided into individual components 204 along the streets 202.

[0021] In the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the protective member 210 is formed of two or more resin layers, including a resin sheet 211, a resin layer 212, and a resin film 213. The resin sheet 211, the resin layer 212, and the resin film 213 are resin layers of the protective member 210. In the embodiment, the resin sheet 211 comprises a thin, flexible synthetic resin (polyolefin (PO) in the embodiment) and is formed in a sheet shape. The resin sheet 211 is applied to the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 and the surfaces of the protrusions 205 in close contact with them.

[0022] In the embodiment, the resin layer 212 contains an ultraviolet (UV)-curing liquid resin that cures upon exposure to UV rays and is layered on the resin sheet 211. The resin film 213 contains a thin, flexible synthetic resin (PO in the embodiment) and is formed in a film shape. The resin film 213 is stacked on the resin layer 212.

[0023] The protective member 210 is configured by a method in which, after the resin film 211 is brought into close contact with the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 and the surfaces of the protrusions 205, a liquid resin is applied to the resin film 211 to form the resin layer 212, the surface of the liquid resin is shaped to be flat along the surface of the substrate 201, and the liquid resin is cured by irradiation with UV rays, thereby coating the resin film 213 on the resin layer 212.

[0024] The tape fastening device 100 according to the embodiment is a device for peeling off the protective member 210 attached to the front surface 203 from the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 after the Fig. 3, the belt 220 was attached to the back surface 207, which is the surface on the other side of the workpiece 200 after grinding. It should be noted that the back surface 207 is the surface on the back with respect to the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200. The belt fastening device 100 comprises a belt fastening unit 101, which in Fig. 3, the protective element removal device 1, which is shown in Fig. 4, and a control unit 180, which in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 is shown.

[0025] In the embodiment, the tape fixing unit 101 is a device for fixing the tape 220 to the back surface 207 of the workpiece 200 and fixing an annular frame 221 having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece 200 to a peripheral edge portion of the tape 220. Note that, in the stacked state, the tape 220 comprises an adhesive layer containing a resin having a pressure-sensitive adhesive property for fixing to the back surface 207 of the workpiece 200, and a base material layer containing a resin without a pressure-sensitive adhesive property. In the embodiment, the tape 220 is formed as an elongated sheet-like member and is rolled into a roll shape in a state where a release paper 222 is fixed to the adhesive layer. In the embodiment, the tape 220 is wound in a roll form so that the release paper 222 is located on the inner peripheral side.Note that the release paper 222 serves to protect the adhesive layer of the tape 220. In the embodiment, the tape 220 is attached to the back surface 207 of the workpiece 200 and the annular frame 221, and the release paper 222 is sequentially peeled off from one end portion by the tape attachment unit 101.

[0026] As in Fig. 3, the tape fixing unit 101 includes a device base 102, a holding unit 110, a feeding unit 120, a release paper receiving unit 130, a fixing unit 140, a tape cutting section 150, a tape receiving unit 160, and a plurality of conveying rollers 170.

[0027] The device base 102 supports each portion of the tape fixing unit 101. In the embodiment, an upper surface of the device base 102 is parallel to both an X-axis direction parallel to a horizontal direction and a Y-axis direction parallel to a horizontal direction and orthogonal to the X-axis direction.

[0028] The holding section 110 includes a holding surface 111 located at the center in the X-axis direction of the upper surface of the device base 102 and on which the workpiece 200 is mounted, and a frame holding surface 112 located at a periphery of the holding surface 111 and on which the annular frame 221 is mounted. The holding surface 111 and the frame holding surface 112 are arranged at positions parallel to both the X-axis and Y-axis directions and coaxial with each other. The front surface 203 side of the workpiece 200 is fixed to the holding surface 111 of the holding section 110 via the protective member 210. The holding section 110 holds the workpiece 200 fixed on the holding surface 111 under suction by a suction source (not shown).Further, the holding portion 110 is provided so that it can be lifted up and down along a Z-axis direction orthogonal to both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by a Z-axis moving mechanism not shown.

[0029] The discharge unit 120 serves to sequentially discharge the tape 220 wound in a roll form from one end portion onto the holding surfaces 111 and 112 of the holding portion 110 arranged on the device base 102. In the embodiment, the discharge unit 120 is arranged at an end portion in the X-axis direction of the device base 102. The discharge unit 120 has a cylindrical shape whose axis is parallel to the Y-axis direction and is provided so as to be rotatable about the axis. The tape 220 wound in a roll form, in which the base material layer is located on an outer side and the adhesive layer is located on an inner side, is wound around a peripheral surface of the discharge unit 120, thereby fixing the tape 220.

[0030] The release paper receiving unit 130 serves to receive the release paper 222 peeled from the tape 220 fed out by the discharge unit 120. In the embodiment, the release paper receiving unit 130 is arranged below the discharge unit 120. The release paper receiving unit 130 has a cylindrical shape with an axis parallel to the Y-axis direction and is rotated about the axis by a drive device such as a motor (not shown), thereby receiving the peeled release paper 222 on a peripheral surface thereof.

[0031] The fastening unit 140 is used to fasten the tape 220 fed from the discharge unit 120 onto the holding surface 111 of the holding section 110, onto the workpiece 200, which is held by suction between the holding surface 111 of the holding section 110 and the annular frame 221 mounted on the frame holding surface 112. The fastening unit 140 is arranged on an upper side of the holding surfaces 111 and 112 of the holding section 110. The fastening unit 140 includes a fastening roller 141 formed in a cylindrical shape with its axis parallel to the Y-axis direction, and a roller support member 142 that supports the fastening roller 141 for rotation about the axis and is provided to be movable in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction by unillustrated moving mechanisms.The fixing unit 140 is moved in a lowered state in the X-axis direction by the moving mechanism, to thereby fix the tape 220 to the workpiece 200 and the annular frame 221 held by the holding surfaces 111 and 112 moved upward by the Z-axis moving mechanism.

[0032] The tape cutting section 150 serves to cut the portion of the tape 220 located between an inner edge and an outer edge of the annular frame 221 after the tape 220 has been attached to the workpiece 200 and the annular frame 221. The tape cutting section 150 is arranged on an upper side of the holding surface 111 of the holding section 110. In the embodiment, the tape cutting section 150 includes a cutting blade 152 and a moving mechanism 153. The cutting blade 152 cuts the tape 220 with a cutting edge.

[0033] The moving mechanism 153 is for moving the cutting blade 152 along the surface of the base material layer of the tape 220. The moving mechanism 153 can move the cutting blade 152 in the Z-axis direction and can move the cutting blade 152 along the circumferential direction with an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction as the center. The moving mechanism 153 includes a rotating shaft 151 disposed at the center of the holding surface 111 of the holding portion 110 and rotated about an axis by a driving device such as a motor (not shown), an arm 154 extending from the rotating shaft 151 toward an outer edge parallel to the holding surface 111 of the holding portion 110 and supporting the cutting blade 152 at a tip thereof, and an air cylinder 155 that lifts the arm 154 up and down together with the rotating shaft 151.

[0034] The tape take-up unit 160 serves to take up an unnecessary part of the tape 220 after its portion between an inner edge and an outer edge of the annular frame 221 is cut off by the tape cutting section 150. In the embodiment, the tape take-up unit 160 is arranged at the other end part in the X-axis direction of the device base 102. The tape take-up unit 160 has a cylindrical shape whose axis is parallel to the Y-axis direction and is rotated about the axis by a drive device such as a motor (not shown), thereby taking up the tape 220 on a peripheral surface thereof.

[0035] The plurality of conveyor rollers 170 are arranged between the discharge unit 120 and the belt take-up unit 160 to convey the belt 220 from the discharge unit 120 to the belt take-up unit 160 and to apply tension to the belt 220 to prevent slack of the belt 220. The plurality of conveyor rollers 170 are each formed in a cylindrical shape with an axis parallel to the Y-axis direction and are each provided to be rotatable about the axis.

[0036] A pair of conveying rollers 170 are arranged between the conveying unit 120 and the holding section 110 and below the conveying unit 120. The tape 220, which is in a state where the release paper 222 is attached and which is conveyed out of the conveying unit 120, is passed between the peripheral surfaces of the pair of conveying rollers 170, whereby the release paper 222 is peeled off the tape 220, the release paper 222 peeled off the tape 220 is conveyed out by the conveying rollers 170 to the release paper receiving unit 130, and the tape 220 from which the release paper 222 has been peeled off is conveyed out by the conveying rollers 170 in a state where the adhesive layer is facing downward.

[0037] In addition, a pair of conveyor rollers 170 is arranged between the pair of conveyor rollers 170 arranged between the discharge unit 120 and the belt take-up unit 160 and the holding section 110. With this pair of conveyor rollers 170, the belt 220 is passed between their peripheral surfaces, thereby conveying the belt 220 along the X-axis direction parallel to the holding surface 111 of the holding section 110 onto the holding surface 111.

[0038] In addition, a pair of conveyor rollers 170 are arranged between the holding section 110 and the tape take-up unit 160 and below the tape take-up unit 160. The pair of conveyor rollers 170 guide the tape 220 between their circumferential surfaces to thereby convey the tape 220 toward the tape take-up unit 160.

[0039] The above-mentioned belt fastening unit 101 holds the workpiece 200 on the holding surface 111 under suction after the front surface 203 side of the workpiece 200 is mounted on the holding surface 111 and the annular frame 221 is mounted on the frame holding surface 112. The belt fastening unit 101 lifts the holding section 110 relative to the conveyor rollers 170 and lowers the fastening unit 140 while moving the fastening unit 140 in the X-axis direction, thereby fastening the belt 220 to the workpiece 200 and the annular frame 221. The tape fixing unit 101 raises the fixing unit 140 in a state where the holding portion 110 is raised, and lowers the cutting blade 152 while causing the moving mechanism 153 to rotate the cutting blade 152 around the axis of the rotating shaft 151.The tape fixing unit 101 rotates the cutting blade 152 around the axis of the rotary shaft 151 while causing the cutting blade 152 to cut into the part of the tape 220 located between an inner edge and an outer edge of the annular frame 221.

[0040] The tape fastening unit 101 rotates the rotary shaft 151 of the tape cutting section 150 at least one revolution around the axis, thereby cutting the tape 220 over the entire circumference of the rotary shaft 151. After cutting the tape 220, the tape fastening unit 101 raises the tape cutting section 150, then lowers the holding section 110 relative to the conveyor rollers 170, picks up the tape 220 by an amount to be attached to a workpiece 200 through the tape take-up unit 160, moves the tape 220 by a distance corresponding to a workpiece 200, releases the holding by suction of the holding surface 111, and ends the fastening process for the tape 220.

[0041] The protective member peeling device 1 according to the embodiment is a device for peeling the protective member 210 from the workpiece 200, in which the protective member 210 is attached to the front surface 203 thereof. In the embodiment, the protective member peeling device 1 is a device for applying a heat seal 230 to the protective member 210, which is attached to the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200, and peeling the protective member 210 from the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200.

[0042] Note that in the embodiment, the heat seal 230 is a member that has no adhesive force at normal temperature but exhibits adhesive force when heated, and is formed as an elongated, sheet-shaped member. The heat seal 230 includes a base material layer containing a base material such as a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin, and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer containing an adhesive or the like applied to the base material layer. This adhesive is called a hot melt and is melted by heat, and exhibits pressure-sensitive adhesive force when heated.

[0043] As in Fig. 4, the protective member peeling device 1 includes a base 2 extending in the X-axis direction parallel to a horizontal direction, a chuck table 10 arranged on the base 2, a table moving mechanism 20, a heat seal feeding mechanism 30, a peeling unit 3, and a protective member detecting unit 70.

[0044] The base 2 supports each part of the protective member peeling device 1. In the embodiment, an upper surface of the base 2 is arranged to be parallel to a horizontal direction in the X-axis direction as well as to be parallel to the horizontal direction in the Y-axis direction and orthogonal to the X-axis direction.

[0045] The chuck table 10 serves to hold the workpiece 200 from the back surface 207 side. The chuck table 10 is arranged on the top of the base 2 by the table moving mechanism 20, and has a holding surface 11 parallel to both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, to which the back surface 207 of the workpiece 200 is fixed by the belt 220. The chuck table 10 has the holding surface 11 containing a porous ceramic or the like, and holds the workpiece 200 mounted on the holding surface 11 under suction by an unillustrated suction source via the belt 220. The chuck table 10 is moved in the X-axis direction by the table moving mechanism 20 arranged on the top of the base 2.

[0046] The heat seal feeding mechanism 30 includes a roller 31 formed in a cylindrical shape, which is provided to be rotatable about an axis, and on which a heat seal 230 is rolled in a roll form with the base material layer on an outer side and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer on an inner side, a pair of guide rollers 32, and a pair of feed-out rollers 33. The axis of the roller 31 is parallel to the Y-axis direction. The roller 31 has a back tension for receiving the heat seal 230 attached thereto by a tension mechanism not shown, and the tension is adjusted so that the drawn-out heat seal 230 is not loosened. On the roller 31, the heat seal 230 is wound in a state where the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of the heat seal 230 drawn out from the roller 31 faces downward.

[0047] The guide rollers 32 serve to guide the heat seal 230 peeled off from the roller 31 to a lower side. Each is cylindrically shaped and rotatable about an axis. The pair of guide rollers 32 are arranged parallel to each other, with the heat seal 230 passing between them and reversed, and guides the heat seal 230 to a lower side while applying tension thereto. The axes of the pair of guide rollers 32 are parallel to the Y-axis direction.

[0048] The discharge rollers 33 are arranged below the guide rollers 32 to discharge the heat seal 230 guided by the guide rollers 32 toward a tape fastening mechanism 40. Each of the discharge rollers 33 is cylindrical in shape and rotatable about an axis. The pair of discharge rollers 33 is arranged parallel to each other, with the heat seal 230 passing between them, and discharges the heat seal 230 toward the tape fastening mechanism 40 of the peeling unit 3. The axes of the pair of discharge rollers 33 are parallel to the Y-axis direction.

[0049] The peeling unit 3 serves to peel the protective member 210, which is attached to the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 held by the chuck table 10, from the workpiece 200. The peeling unit 3 includes the tape fixing mechanism 40, a tape cutting section 50, and a horizontal movement mechanism 60.

[0050] The tape fastening mechanism 40 is used to fasten the heat seal 230 to the protective member 210, which is attached to the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 held by the clamping table 10. The tape fastening mechanism 40 includes a tape clamping unit 41 and a tape fastening unit 42.

[0051] The tape clamping unit 41 is for clamping an end portion of the heat seal 230 fed from the heat seal feeding mechanism 30, and includes a guide member 43 extending in the Z-axis direction orthogonal to both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction; an air cylinder 44 fixed to an upper end of the guide member 43; a fixed claw portion 45 formed by bending a lower end of the guide member 43; and a movable claw portion 46 disposed to oppose the fixed claw portion 45 and supported by the guide member 43 so as to be movable closer to and away from the fixed claw portion 45. The tape clamping unit 41 clamps an end portion of the heat seal 230 by extending a piston rod 47 of the air cylinder 44 and bringing the movable claw portion 46 closer to the fixed claw portion 45.The tape clamping unit 41 releases the clamping of the end portion of the heat seal 230 by retracting the piston rod 47 of the air cylinder 44 and spacing the movable claw portion 46 from the fixed claw portion 45.

[0052] The tape fastening unit 42 serves to fasten the heat seal 230, the end portion of which is clamped by the tape clamping unit 41, to the protective member 210 attached to the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 held by the clamping table 10. In the embodiment, the heat seal 230 has the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer facing downward.

[0053] The tape fastening unit 42 is arranged between the discharge rollers 33 and the tape clamping unit 41 and has a heating device (not shown) attached thereto. The tape fastening unit 42 presses the base material layer of the heat seal 230 so that the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer comes into close contact with a peripheral portion of the protective member 210, thereby attaching the heat seal 230 to the protective member 210. When the heat seal 230 is attached to the peripheral portion of the protective member 210, the tape fastening unit 42 is heated by the heating device and partially heats the heat seal 230 attached to the protective member 210 to attach the heat seal 230 to the protective member 210. In the embodiment, the tape fastening unit 42 attaches the heat seal 230 to an end portion on the viewer's side in Fig. 4 in the X-axis direction of the protective member 210. Further, the band fixing unit 42 is lifted up and down along the Z-axis direction by a lifting mechanism not shown.

[0054] The tape cutting section 50 serves to cut the heat seal 230 attached by the tape fastening mechanism 40, and in the embodiment, cuts the heat seal 230 at a position on the side of the heat seal feeding mechanism 30 relative to the part of the heat seal 230 attached to the protective member 210. The tape cutting section 50 includes a mounting base 51 and a cutting blade (not shown).

[0055] The mounting base 51 has a top surface formed flat along horizontal directions, and the heat seal 230 supplied from the heat seal supply mechanism 30 is supplied onto a top surface thereof. Furthermore, the support base 51 includes a groove 52 recessed from the top surface and extending linearly along the Y-axis direction.

[0056] The cutting blade has a cutting edge that cuts into the heat seal 230 applied to the top of the mounting base 51 and enters the groove 52. The cutting blade is moved in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction by unillustrated movement mechanisms.

[0057] The table movement mechanism 20 is arranged on the base 2 and serves to move the chuck table 10 in the X-axis direction. The horizontal movement mechanism 60 is arranged on the support plate 4, which is located on an upper side of the base 2, and serves to move the tape fixing unit 42 and the tape cutting section 50 in the X-axis direction.

[0058] The table moving mechanism 20 and the horizontal moving mechanism 60 include known ball screws 21 and 61, each rotatable about an axis parallel to the X-axis direction; known pulse motors 22 and 62 for rotating the ball screws 21 and 61 about the axes; and known guide rails 23 and 63 that movably support the chuck table 10 or the tape fixing unit 42 and the tape cutting section 50 in the X-axis direction.

[0059] The peeling unit 3 clamps one end portion of the heat seal 230 through the tape clamping unit 41, which is conveyed by the heat seal feeding mechanism 30 toward the tape clamping unit 41 of the tape fixing mechanism 40. The peeling unit 3 presses one end portion of the heat seal 230 against one end portion in the X-axis direction of the protective member 210, which is fixed to the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200, through the tape fixing unit 42, and heats the heat seal 230, so that the heat seal 230 is heat-sealed to the one end portion of the protective member 210. The peeling unit 3 lowers the cutting blade of the tape cutting section 50 toward the inside of the groove 52 by a moving mechanism to cause the cutting blade to cut into the heat seal 230 and enter the groove 52, and thereafter moves the cutting blade along the Y-axis direction to cut the heat seal 230.The peeling unit 3 moves the tape clamping unit 41 and the chuck table 10 relative to each other in opposite directions in the X-axis direction by the moving mechanisms 20 and 60 to pull the protective member 210 along the surface of the substrate 201 through the heat seal 230 attached to the protective member 210, thereby peeling the protective member 210 from the workpiece 200.

[0060] It should be noted that, since in the embodiment, the protective member 210 includes the resin film 211, the resin layer 212, and the resin film 213, when peeled from the workpiece 200 by the peeling unit 3, the resin film 213 and the resin layer 212 may be peeled off, but the resin film 211 and the resin layer 212 may remain on the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200. In this case, the resin film 211 and the resin layer 212 remain on the entire part of the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200.

[0061] The protective member detection unit 70 is for detecting whether or not at least a part of the protective member 210 is present on the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 after the protective member 210 is peeled off by the peeling unit 3. In the embodiment, the protective member detection unit 70 is an optical sensor that is arranged on an upper side of the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 and applies a laser beam to the workpiece 200 held by the chuck table 10 under suction to thereby measure the distance to the workpiece 200, or an ultrasonic sensor that applies an ultrasonic wave to the workpiece 200 to thereby measure the distance to the workpiece 200.

[0062] The protective member detection unit 70 applies the laser beam or the ultrasonic wave in a state where the chuck table 10 is moved along the X-axis direction by the table moving mechanism 20, and measures the above-mentioned distance along the entire length in the X-axis direction of the workpiece 200. The protective member detection unit 70 measures the above-mentioned distance along the entire length in the X-axis direction of the workpiece 200 and outputs the measured distance to the control unit 180. The control unit 180 compares the distance measured by the protective member detection unit 70 with the previously stored distance between the protective member detection unit 70 and the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 from which the protective member 210 has been completely peeled off, thereby determining whether or not the protective member 210 is present on the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200.In this way, in the embodiment, the protective member detecting unit 70 measures the aforementioned distance over the entire length in the X-axis direction of the workpiece 200 to thereby detect, in cooperation with the control unit 180, whether or not the protective member 210 is present on the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200. Further, the control unit 180 compares the distance measured by the protective member detecting unit 70 with the previously stored distance between the protective member detecting unit 70 and the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 from which the protective member 210 has been completely peeled off, so as to determine whether the multiple layers of the resin sheet 211, the resin layer 212, and the resin film 213 of the protective member 210 all remain or only the resin film 213 on the exposed surface side of the multiple layers of the resin sheet 211, the resin layer 212, and the resin film 213 has been peeled off.In this way, in the embodiment, the protective member detecting unit 70 measures the above-mentioned distance over the entire length in the X-axis direction of the workpiece 200 so as to determine, in cooperation with the control unit 180, whether all of the multiple layers of the resin sheet 211, the resin layer 212, and the resin film 213 of the protective member 210 remain on the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 or only the resin film 213 on the exposed surface side of the multiple layers of the resin sheet 211, the resin layer 212, and the resin film 213 has been peeled off.

[0063] The control unit 180 controls all components constituting the tape fastening device 100. In other words, the control unit 180 causes the tape fastening device 100 to perform an operation for fastening the tape 220 to the workpiece 200 and an operation for removing the protective member 210. The control unit 180 is a computer that includes an arithmetic processing device including a microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU), a storage device including a memory such as a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM), and an input / output interface device, and that can execute a computer program.

[0064] The arithmetic processing device of the control unit 180 executes a computer program stored in the ROM on the RAM and generates control signals for controlling the tape fastening device 100. The arithmetic processing device of the control unit 180 outputs the generated control signals to the components of the tape fastening device 100 via the input-output interface device. Furthermore, the control unit 180 is provided with a Fig. 4, which comprises a liquid crystal display for displaying the state of a mounting operation and an image and the like, an input unit to be used at the time when the operator registers information regarding the processing content and the like, and a Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 for issuing an alarm to the operator by emitting at least one of a sound and a light. The input unit includes at least a touch panel provided on the display unit 181, a keyboard, and the like.

[0065] Next, an example of peeling off the protective element peeling device 1 will be described. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a state in which the Fig. The protective element removal device shown in Fig. 4 detects whether or not the protective element is present on the front surface of the workpiece held by the clamping table. Fig. Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing a state in which the Fig. 4, the protective element removal device applies a heat seal to the protective element which is attached to the front surface of the workpiece held by the clamping table. Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing an example of a state in which the Fig. 4, the protective element removal device removes the protective element attached to the front surface of the workpiece held by the clamping table. Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing an example of a state in which the Fig. The protective element removal device shown in Fig. 4 detects whether the protective element is present or not after the protective element attached to the front surface of the workpiece held by the clamping table has been removed. Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing another example of a state in which the Fig. 4, the protective element removal device removes the protective element attached to the front surface of the workpiece held by the clamping table. Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing another example of a state in which the Fig. The protective element removal device shown in Fig. 4 detects whether the protective element is present or not after the protective element attached to the front surface of the workpiece held by the clamping table has been removed. Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing an example in which the Fig. 4, the protective element removal device again removes the protective element, a part of which remains on the front surface of the workpiece held by the clamping table.

[0066] First, the workpiece 200, with the tape 220 attached to the back surface 207 thereof, is conveyed to the protective member removal device 1 by the tape attachment unit 101, and the back surface 207 side of the workpiece 200 is mounted on the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10. The protective member removal device 1 holds the workpiece 200 on the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 under suction and causes the table moving mechanism 20 to position an end portion in the X-axis direction of the workpiece 200 on the chuck table 10 on a lower side of the protective member detection unit 70, as shown by a solid line in Fig. 5. The protective element removing device 1, while measuring the above-mentioned distance by the protective element detecting unit 70, moves the chuck table 10 in the X-axis direction by the table moving mechanism 20, so that the protective element detecting unit 70 is positioned on an upper side of the other end portion in the X-axis direction of the workpiece 200 on the chuck table 10, as shown by a dashed line in Fig. 5, and detects by the protective element detection unit 70 whether the protective element 210 is present or not.

[0067] The protective member peeling device 1 detects through the protective member detection unit 70 that the protective member 210 is present and that all of the multiple layers of the resin sheet 211, the resin layer 212, and the resin film 213 remain, and feeds the heat seal 230 toward the tape clamping unit 41 of the peeling device 3 through the heat seal feeding mechanism 30. The protective member peeling device 1 clamps an end portion of the heat seal 230 by the tape clamping unit 41, and then lowers the cutting blade of the tape cutting section 50 toward the groove 52 through the moving mechanism to cause the cutting blade to cut into the heat seal 230 and enter the groove 52. The protective member peeling device 1 moves the cutting blade in the Y-axis direction through the moving mechanism, cuts the heat seal 230 by the cutting blade, and lifts the cutting blade.

[0068] The protective member removing device 1 causes the table moving mechanism 20 to position an end portion in the X-axis direction of the workpiece 200 on the chuck table 10 at a lower side of the tape fixing unit 42, and lowers, as shown in Fig. 6, the tape fastening unit 42 presses the heat seal 230 against the workpiece 200 and fixes the heat seal 230 to the protective member 210, and heats the heat seal 230 so that the heat seal 230 is heat sealed to the protective member 210.

[0069] The protective element removal device 1 causes, for example, the table moving mechanism 20 and the horizontal moving mechanism 60 to move the tape clamping unit 41 in the Fig. 7, and moves the tape clamping unit 41 and the clamping table 10 in opposite directions in the X-axis direction, thereby peeling the protective member 210 from the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200. The protective member peeling device 1 positions an end portion in the X-axis direction of the workpiece 200 on the clamping table 10 at a lower side of the protective member detection unit 70, as shown by a solid line in Fig. 8, moves the chuck table 10 in the X-axis direction by the table moving mechanism 20 while measuring the above-mentioned distance by the protective member detecting unit 70, so that the protective member detecting unit 70 is positioned on an upper side of the other end portion in the X-axis direction of the workpiece 200 on the chuck table 10 as shown by a dashed line in Fig. 8, and detects whether the protective element 210 is present or not by the protective element detection unit 70. If the protective element detection unit 70 detects that the protective element 210 is not present over the entire length in the X-axis direction, the protective element removal device 1 terminates the removal process.

[0070] Furthermore, the protective element peeling device 1 can also peel off only the resin layer 213 of the protective element 210, as in Fig. 9. In this case, the protective element removal device 1 detects through the protective element detection unit 70 whether the protective element 210 is present or not, as shown in Fig. 10. In the embodiment, the protective member peeling device 1 determines whether or not only the resin film 213 on the exposed surface side of the multiple layers of the resin sheet 211, the resin layer 212, and the resin film 213 has been peeled off. When it is determined that at least a part of the protective member 210 is present on the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 after peeling off the protective member 210, that is, in the embodiment, when it is determined by the protective member detecting unit 70 that only the resin film 213 on the exposed surface side of the multiple layers of the resin film 211, the resin layer 212, and the resin film 213 has been peeled off and the resin film 211 and the resin layer 212 remain on the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200, the protective member peeling device 1 actuates the alarm unit 182 to give an alarm to the operator.Thus, the alarm unit 182 notifies the operator that the protective member detecting unit 70 has detected the protective member 210. In the embodiment, when it is determined that only the resin film 213 on the exposed surface side of the multiple layers of the resin film 211, the resin layer 212, and the resin film 213 has been peeled off, and that the resin film 211 and the resin layer 212 remain on the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200, the protective member peeling device 1 heat-seals the heat seal 230 to the resin layer 212 of the protective member 210 based on the result of the determination by the protective member detecting unit 70, and, as shown in FIG. Fig.11, the tape clamp unit 41 and the chuck table 10 move in opposite directions in the X-axis direction, thereby again peeling the remaining resin film 211 and the resin layer 212 of the protective member 210 from the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 by the peeling unit 3. The peeling unit 1 detects through the protective member detection unit 70 whether or not the protective member 210 is present over the entire length in the X-axis direction, and stops the peeling operation when it detects that the protective member 210 is not present there.

[0071] In the protective member peeling device 1 and the tape fastening device 100 according to the above-described embodiment, whether the protective member 210 is present or not after the peeling of the protective member 210 by the peeling unit 3 is detected by the protective member detection unit 70, thus achieving the effect of detecting the presence or absence of the remaining protective member 210. Furthermore, in the protective member peeling device 1 and the tape fastening device 100, whether the protective member 210 is present or not after the peeling of the protective member 210 by the peeling unit 3 is detected by the protective member detection unit 70, thus securely preventing the workpiece 200 from being transferred to the next step while the protective member 210 still remains thereon.

[0072] Furthermore, in the protective member peeling device 1 and the tape fastening device 100 according to the embodiment, by detecting whether the protective member 210 is present or not even before peeling off the protective member 210, it is ensured that even if a defective workpiece 200 without the protective member 210 attached thereto is introduced into a process, the effect of detecting the protective member 210 can be performed without causing a problem due to a peeling operation is achieved.Furthermore, in the protective member peeling device 1 and the tape fixing device 100 according to the embodiment, in the case where the protective member 210 has the multiple layers of the resin sheet 211, the resin layer 212, and the resin film 213, the peeling is performed again in the case where all the layers or a specific layer remain, and thus, efficient performance of the work and detection of a problem (remainder of the protective member 210 after peeling and abnormality in the conditions of fixing the multiple layers of the resin sheet 211, the resin layer 212, and the resin film 213) can be satisfied at the same time.

[0073] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. In other words, the present invention can be embodied with various modifications within such a scope that does not deviate from the gist of the invention. In the present invention, for example, the protective member 210 may comprise a base material layer that does not have a pressure-sensitive adhesive property and an adhesive layer with a pressure-sensitive adhesive property stacked on the base material layer. In this case, when the protective member detecting unit 70 detects the remaining adhesive layer on the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 after peeling off the protective member 210, it is desirable not to perform the peeling again, but to actuate the alarm unit 182 and stop the peeling operation.Therefore, in the present invention, if the protective member 210 is detected to remain on the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 after the protective member 210 is peeled off, the peeling cannot be performed again, but the alarm unit 182 can be activated, and the peeling operation can be stopped. Furthermore, in the present invention, the protective member detection unit 70 may be a camera unit that images the front surface 203 side of the workpiece 200 and captures a so-called color image including a red (R) light intensity, a green (G) light intensity, and a blue (B) light intensity. In this case, it is desirable to detect whether the protective member 210 is present or not by pattern matching between the color image captured by the camera unit and the normal color image obtained by imaging the front surface 203 of the workpiece 200 with the protective member 210 removed beforehand.

Claims

[1] Protective element removal device (1) for removing a protective element from a workpiece (200), in which the protective element (210) is attached to a first surface (203) thereof, the protective element removal device (1) comprising: a clamping table (10) holding the workpiece (200) from one side of a second surface (207) on a side opposite the first surface; a peeling unit (3) that peels the protective member (210) attached to the first surface (203) of the workpiece held by the chuck table from the workpiece; a protective element detection unit (70) which, after the protective element (210) has been peeled off by the peeling unit (3), detects whether or not the protective element (210) is present on the first surface (203) of the workpiece; and an alarm unit that issues an alarm when the protective element detection unit has detected the protective element, wherein the protective element (210) comprises a plurality of resin layers, and the protective element detection unit (70) comprises an optical type sensor or an ultrasonic sensor that detects a distance to the workpiece (10) held by the chuck table (10). [2] The protective member peeling device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the peeling unit (3) comprises a tape fastening mechanism (40) that fastens a heat seal (230) to the protective member (210) attached to the front surface (203) of the workpiece (200) held by the chuck table (10), and a horizontal movement mechanism (60) that moves the heat seal (230) and the chuck table (10) relative to each other. [3] The protective member peeling device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the protective member detecting unit (70) determines whether all of the plurality of resin layers are present or only the resin on an exposed surface side of the plurality of resin layers has been peeled off, and, based on the result of the determination, the remaining protective member (211; 212) is peeled off again by the peeling unit. [4] A tape fastening device that pulls a protective element (210) attached to a first surface (203) of a workpiece (200) from the workpiece (200), the tape fastening device comprising: a tape attachment unit that attaches a tape to a second surface (207) on a side opposite the first surface (203) of the workpiece (200); and a protective element removal device (1) which removes the protective element (210) from the first surface (203) of the workpiece (200), wherein the protective element removal device (1) comprises: a clamping table (10) which holds the workpiece (200) from the second surface side (207), a pulling unit (3) which pulls the protective element (210) attached to the first surface (203) of the workpiece (200) held by the clamping table (10) from the workpiece (200), a protective element detection unit (70) which, after the protective element (210) has been peeled off by the peeling unit (3), detects whether the protective element (210) is present on the first surface (203) of the workpiece (200) or not, and an alarm unit that issues an alarm when the protective element detection unit has detected the protective element, wherein the protective element (210) comprises a plurality of resin layers, and the protective element detection unit (70) comprises an optical type sensor or an ultrasonic sensor that detects a distance to the workpiece (10) held by the chuck table (10).

Images