Protective film adhesion device with a cutting unit that cuts a protective film adhered to a wafer

Abstract

Protective film adhesion device (1) which adheres a protective film (200) to a wafer (100) having a circular shape, wherein the protective film adhesion device (1) comprises: a film adhesion unit (20) which adheres the protective film (200) to the wafer (100) held by a table; and a cutting unit (30) which cuts the protective film (200) adhered to the wafer (100) by the film adhesion unit (20) along an outer circumference of the wafer (100), while a cutting part (311) of a cutting blade (31) is brought into contact with the outer circumference of the wafer (100), wherein the cutting unit (30) has a cutting blade support part (33) which rotatably supports the cutting blade (31) in such a way that a direction of a cutting edge (312) of the cutting part (311) is adjustable from an outside in a radial direction of the wafer (100) to an inside, the cutting blade support part (33) having: a first tension spring (37) which generates a tension,to cause the cutting part (311) to be directed inwards, and a second tension spring (381) which generates a tension to cause the cutting part (311) to be directed outwards, to prevent the cutting part (311) from being directed inwards by a predetermined angle or more, and to set the direction of the cutting part (311) to the predetermined angle with respect to the outer circumference of the wafer (100).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Area of ​​the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a protective film adhesion device. Description of the state of the art

[0002] Conventionally, a protective film adhesion device is used in a semiconductor manufacturing process, which adheres a protective film, such as a protective tape, to a surface of a wafer as an adhesion target on which several semiconductor devices are formed, and cuts the adhered protective film with a cutting blade along the outer edge of the wafer (see, for example, Japanese patent application no. 2006-005131). PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In such a release liner attachment device, the cutting blade moves along the outer circumferential edge of the wafer, cutting the release liner along the circular shape. The wafer is then thinned with a grinding or polishing device or processed with a laser beam. Typically, the wafer has an orientation flat or notch that indicates the direction of crystal orientation on its outer circumference. Even if the release liner is cut along the circular shape, the cut liner will protrude significantly from the wafer unless the cutting edge of the blade is directed specifically along the orientation flat. Therefore, the release liner will become an obstacle in the next step, interfering with grinding or similar processes.Therefore, a separate method is implemented for the orientation flattening portion, distinct from the method for cutting the protective film for the circular section. In this method, a table or cutting blade is moved along the shape of the orientation flattening to cut the protective film. A problem arises in that an actuator is required to control the table or cutting blade, thus increasing the size of the device and its cost.

[0004] It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a protective film adhesion device which can easily cause the direction of a cutting part that cuts a protective film to follow both a circular part of the outer circumferential edge of a wafer with an orientation flattening and the part of the orientation flattening.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a protective film adhesion device is provided that adheres a protective film to a wafer with a circular shape. The protective film adhesion device comprises: a film adhesion unit which adheres the protective film to the wafer held by a table, and a cutting unit which cuts the protective film adhered to the wafer by the film adhesion unit along an outer circumference of the wafer while a cutting portion of a cutting blade is brought into contact with the outer circumference of the wafer. The cutting unit has a cutting blade support that rotatably supports the cutting blade in such a way that the direction of a cutting edge of the cutting portion is adjustable from an outside in a radial direction of the wafer to an inside.The cutting blade support comprises: a first tension spring that creates tension to cause the cutting edge to point inwards, and a second tension spring that creates tension to cause the cutting edge to point outwards, preventing it from pointing inwards by a predetermined angle or more. The cutting edge's direction is set to the predetermined angle relative to the wafer's outer circumference.

[0006] Preferably, the cutting blade support part further comprises a third tension spring that generates tension to prevent the direction of the cutting part from being directed outwards by a predetermined angle or more.

[0007] According to the present invention, it can be easily arranged that the direction of the cutting part that cuts the protective film follows both the circular part of the outer circumferential edge of the wafer which has the orientation flattening, and the part of the orientation flattening.

[0008] The above and other problems, features and advantages of the present invention and its implementation will best become clearer by studying the following description and attached claims, with reference to the attached drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of the invention, and the invention will be best understood thereby. List of characters Fig. Figure 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a protective film adhesion device according to one embodiment; Fig. Figure 2 is a top view showing a wafer that serves as a target for the adhesion of the protective film adhesion device in Fig. 1 is; Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing a film adhesion unit in Fig. 1 represents; Fig. Figure 4 is a sectional view showing the outline of a cutting unit in Fig. 1 represents; Fig. Figure 5 is a side view showing the main part of the cutting unit. Fig. 1 represents; Fig. Figure 6 is a top view showing the outline of the main part of the cutting unit in Fig. 1 represents; Fig. Figure 7 is a top view showing the outline of the main part of the cutting unit in Fig. 1 represents; Fig. Figure 8 is a top view showing the outline of the main part of the cutting unit in Fig. 1 represents; and Fig. Figure 9 is a top view showing the operation of the cutting unit in Fig. 1 represents. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED VERSION

[0009] One embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the content described in the following embodiment. Furthermore, the components described below include those that are readily conceivable to a person skilled in the art and that are essentially the same. Moreover, the embodiments described below can be combined with one another in a suitable manner. Additionally, various types of omissions, substitutions, or modifications of an embodiment can be implemented without departing from the core of the present invention.

[0010] A protective film adhesion device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the drawings. Fig. Figure 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the protective film adhesion device 1 according to the embodiment. Fig. Figure 2 is a top view showing a wafer 100 which has a target for adhering a film of the protective film adhesion device 1 in Fig. 1 is. Fig. Figure 3 is a sectional view to illustrate a foil adhesion unit 20 in Fig. 1. Fig. Figure 4 is a sectional view to illustrate the outline of a cutting unit 30 in Fig. 1. Fig. Figure 5 is a side view showing the main part of the cutting unit 30 in Fig. 1 represents. Fig. 6, Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 are all top views showing the outline of the main part of the cutting unit 30 in Fig. 1. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the protective film adhesion device 1 has a table 10, the film adhesion unit 20 and the cutting unit 30.

[0011] The wafer 100, which is a target for the adhesion of a film of the protective film adhesion device 1 according to the embodiment, i.e., an adhesion target, is, for example, a circular, plate-shaped semiconductor wafer, an optical device wafer, or the like, containing silicon, sapphire, silicon carbide (SiC), gallium arsenide, or the like as the base material. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, components 103 are formed in the wafer 100 in areas delimited by several planned division lines 102, which are formed in a lattice-like pattern on a front surface 101. In the present embodiment, the wafer 100 has an orientation flattening 110 on its outer circumference, which is produced by cutting off a portion of the wafer 100 linearly along the direction of the crystal orientation to indicate the direction of the crystal orientation. For this reason, an outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100 has a circular portion 121 and a linear portion 122 on which the orientation flattening 110 is formed.The wafer 100 with a circular shape in the present invention comprises the wafer 100 with a part which is produced by cutting off a part of the wafer 100 in the direction of the inner circumferential side relative to the exactly circular shape (orientation flattening 110, notch or the like) on the outer circumference.

[0012] A protective film 200, which is adhered to the wafer 100 by the protective film adhesion device 1 according to the embodiment, is, for example, a so-called adhesive tape having a layer-stack structure consisting of a base layer made of a plastic and an adhesive layer formed of an adhesive made of a plastic. In the present embodiment, the protective film 200 is adhered with the side of the adhesive layer that has an adhesive property directed towards the side of the front surface 101 of the wafer 100, thereby protecting the side of the front surface 101 of the wafer 100. Within the scope of the present invention, the protective film 200 is not limited to this and could also be adhered to the side of a rear surface 104 on the side opposite the front surface 101 instead of the side of the front surface 101 of the wafer 100.A protective film with only one base layer, lacking an adhesive layer, could be pressure-bonded to the wafer 100 while the protective film is heated. Furthermore, the protective film 200 is not limited to the material referred to as the adhesive tape within the scope of the present invention, but could also be a so-called film made of a thermoplastic material, formed by pressing and spreading the thermoplastic material into a film shape while the thermoplastic material is heated to soften or melt it, thereby imparting an adhesive property.

[0013] In the present embodiment, the table 10 is, for example, a so-called clamping table comprising a circular frame body with a recessed portion and a suction attachment element fitted into the recessed portion, which also has a circular shape. The suction attachment element of the table 10 is made of a porous ceramic and is connected to a suction source (not shown in the diagram) via a vacuum suction path (not shown in the diagram). The upper surface of the suction attachment element of the table 10 is a holding surface 11 on which the wafer 100 is placed and which suctions and holds the placed wafer 100. In the present embodiment, the wafer 100 is placed on the holding surface 11 with its front surface 101 facing upwards, and the holding surface 11 suctions and holds the placed wafer 100 from the side of the rear surface 104.The holding surface 11 and the upper surface of the frame body of the table 10 are arranged in the same plane and are parallel to the horizontal plane. A circular annular groove 12 is formed in the upper surface of the frame body of the table 10, having a diameter similar to the diameter of the outer circumference of the wafer 100. The groove 12 serves as a clearance groove for a cutting blade 31 of the cutting unit 30, which will be described later. The table 10 is not limited to what is referred to in the present invention as a porous clamping table and could be of a shape that does not have a suction-based holding function. Furthermore, a clamping table with a smaller diameter than the wafer 100 could be used.

[0014] In the present embodiment, the film adhesion unit 20 has a roller 21 which moves in conjunction with a rotation as it rotates about its axial center parallel to the horizontal direction. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the film adhesion unit 20 rotates the roller 21 from one end of the front surface 101 of the wafer 100 towards the other end, with the protective film 200 positioned between them. As it successively places the protective film 200 from one end of the front surface 101 of the wafer 100, the film adhesion unit 20 presses the placed protective film 200 against the wafer 100 with a predetermined pressure force using the roller 21, thus adhering the protective film 200 to the front surface 101 of the wafer 100. If the protective film 200 adhered to the wafer 100 is a thermoplastic plastic film, the film adhesion unit 20 heats the protective film 200 from the side of the roller 21 or the side of the table 10 in order to soften it in addition to the rotational movement of the roller 21, and thereby the softened protective film 200 adheres to the front surface 101 of the wafer 100.

[0015] The film adhesion unit 20 is not limited to the mold with the roller 21 in the present invention, and the protective film 200 could be pressed onto and adhered to the front surface 101 of the wafer 100 by a pressure plate having a pressure surface that has a similar shape and area to that of the table 10. Furthermore, the film adhesion unit 20 could adhere the protective film 200 to the front surface 101 of the wafer 100 by blowing air onto it. In addition, the protective film 200 could be adhered to the wafer 100 using a so-called vacuum application device employing an air pressure differential.

[0016] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the cutting unit 30 comprises the cutting blade 31, a circular plate 32 which holds the cutting blade 31 in the direction of the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100, and a cutting blade support element 33 which allows the cutting blade 31 to rotate about its axial center parallel to the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). Fig. 4) in such a way that the direction of a cutting edge 312 of a cutting part 311 of the cutting blade 31 is adjustable, and a rotary drive source which rotatably drives the circular plate 32 about the axial center parallel to the vertical direction and is not shown in the diagram. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the cutting blade support 33 is arranged on the lower side of the outer circumferential part of the circular plate 32 and rotates along the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32 by rotating the circular plate 32 about its axial center by the rotary drive source. The cutting blade 31 moves along the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32 in conjunction with this rotational movement of the cutting blade support 33. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the cutting unit 30 rotates the circular plate 32 about its axial center by the rotary drive source in such a state that the cutting edge 312 of the cutting portion 311 of the cutting blade 31 is caused to cut into the protective film 200 and is slightly separated upwards from the groove 12. This causes the cutting unit 30 to rotate the cutting blade 31 along the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100 and cut off a protruding portion 201 that extends radially from the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100 into the protective film 200.

[0017] For the cutting part 311 of the cutting blade 31, as in Fig. Figure 5 shows a cutting blade heating element 313, which heats the cutting part 311 of the cutting blade 31. The cutting unit 30 heats and softens the protective film 200 through the cutting part 311 of the cutting blade 31, thus facilitating cutting by heating the cutting part 311 of the cutting blade 31. Therefore, the protective film 200 can be cut more precisely by the cutting part 311 of the cutting blade 31 in accordance with the shape of the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100, without creating a burr in the protective film 200.

[0018] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the cutting blade support element 33 comprises a rotating shaft element 34, a support element main body 35, a cylinder 36, a first tension spring 37, a damper 38 with a second tension spring 381, and a damper 39 with a third tension spring 391. The rotating shaft element 34 is located on the lower side of the outer circumferential part of the circular plate 32, parallel to the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). Fig. 5) arranged and is rotatably supported about the axial center parallel to the vertical direction relative to the circular plate 32.

[0019] The main support body 35 is arranged such that it is attached to the lower side of the rotating shaft element 34, so that it rotates about the axial center of the rotating shaft element 34 in conjunction with the rotating shaft element 34. The main support body 35 carries the cutting blade 31 on its lower side. The main support body 35 carries the cutting blade 31 such that the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 of the cutting blade 31 is substantially aligned in the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 6, the main support body 35 has a shape that extends essentially along the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32. The main support body 35 rotates together with the rotating shaft element 34 about the axial center by applying an external force to one of the areas on a tip side, which is the side of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 relative to the rotating shaft element 34, and on a base end side on the side opposite the tip side on an outer surface 351 and an inner surface 352, which are oriented in the radial direction of the circular plate 32 to the outside and to the inside, respectively.

[0020] The direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 is aligned by rotating the main body of the support part 35 around the axial center together with the rotating shaft element 34 in the radial direction inwards or in the radial direction outwards relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32.

[0021] The cylinder 36 is arranged on the lower side of the outer circumferential portion of the circular plate 32, with its extension and retraction directions aligned with the radial direction of the circular plate 32. The cylinder 36 is controlled by a control unit, which is contained within the protective film adhesion device 1 and is not shown in the figure, and is simply switched between two states: an extended state and a retracted state. One end of the cylinder 36 is attached to the lower side of the outer circumferential portion of the circular plate 32, and a plate component 361 is arranged to be connected to the other end, which moves along the radial direction of the circular plate 32 in response to extension and retraction.

[0022] The first tension spring 37 is arranged such that the expansion-compression direction is aligned in the radial direction of the circular plate 32. As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. As shown in Figure 6, one end of the first tension spring 37 is connected to the area at the base end on the outer surface 351 of the support part main body 35, and the other end is connected to the plate component 361. When the cylinder 36 is in the retracted state, as ... the spring is connected to the base end of the cylinder 361. Fig. As shown in Figure 6, the first tension spring 37 is neither extended nor compressed and exerts no external force on the main body of the support part 35. When the cylinder 36 is in the retracted state, the angle of inclination of the inward direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 in the radial direction with respect to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32 (cutting edge inclination angle) is 91 = 0 degrees, as shown in Figure 6. Fig. Figure 6 shows the cutting edge inclination angle. In the present embodiment, the angle is defined as 0 degrees as the baseline when the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 is aligned in the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32, and a positive value is used as the value of the angle when the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 is aligned radially inwards relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32.

[0023] When the plate component 361 moves radially outwards in conjunction with the cylinder 36 switching to the extended position, as in Fig. 7 and Fig. As shown in Figure 8, the first tension spring 37, in conjunction with the movement of the plate component 361, extends and applies an external force, directed radially outward, to the base end face of the outer surface 351 of the main support body 35. This causes the first tension spring 37 to rotate the main support body 35, together with the rotating shaft element 34, clockwise around its axial center when viewed from the top side, and to rotate the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 inward in the radial direction relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32. When the cylinder 36 assumes the extended state, the cutting edge inclination angle becomes greater than 0 degrees and is θ2 (> 0 degrees) in the Fig. 7 shown example and θ3 (> 0 degrees) in which in Fig. 8 shown in the example. As described above, when the cylinder 36 is in the extended state, the first tension spring 37 pushes the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 inwards in the radial direction, relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32.

[0024] The damper 38, which has the second tension spring 381 inside, is arranged such that the expansion-compression direction is aligned in the radial direction of the circular plate 32. In the damper 38, which has the second tension spring 381 inside, as shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. As shown in Figure 6, one end 382 is directed towards the area at the tip side in the inner surface 352 of the main body of the support part 35, and the other end is attached to the lower side of the outer circumferential part of the circular plate 32 by means of a fastening component 383. In the damper 38, which internally has the second tension spring 381, when the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 is turned inwards in the radial direction by a predetermined angle (for example, 93, shown in Figure 6) due to the tension by the first tension spring 37, the damper 382 is turned inwards in the radial direction by a predetermined angle (for example, 93, shown in Figure 6). Fig. 8) or greater relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32, one end 382 is in contact with the area at the tip side on the inner surface 352 of the support part main body 35 and applies an external force to it to prevent the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 from being oriented inwards in the radial direction by the specified angle or greater relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32. As above, the second tension spring 381 generates the tension to cause the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 to be oriented outwards in the radial direction to prevent the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 from being oriented inwards in the radial direction by the specified angle or greater relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32.

[0025] The damper 39, which has the third tension spring 391 inside, is arranged such that the expansion-compression direction is aligned in the radial direction of the circular plate 32. In the damper 39, which has the third tension spring 391 inside, as shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. As shown in Figure 6, one end 392 is oriented towards the area at the tip side of the outer surface 351 of the main body of the support part 35, and the other end is attached to the underside of the outer circumferential part of the circular plate 32 by means of a fastening component 393. The damper 39, which internally incorporates the third tension spring 391, is activated when the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 is displaced by a predetermined angle (for example, 91 = 0 degrees, as shown in Figure 6) in the radial direction due to a reaction force (normal force) from the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100, etc. Fig. 6) or greater relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32, one end 392 is in contact with the area at the tip side in the outer surface 351 of the support part main body 35 and applies an external force to it to prevent the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 from being oriented outwards in the radial direction by the specified angle or greater relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32. As above, the third tension spring 391 generates the tension to cause the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 to be oriented inwards in the radial direction to prevent the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 from being oriented outwards in the radial direction by the specified angle or greater relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32.

[0026] As above, the cutting unit 30 aligns the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 in the radial direction relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32 inwards by means of the first tension spring 37 and creates a constraint by means of the second tension spring 381 and the third tension spring 391 to prevent the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 from tilting inwards in the radial direction or outwards in the radial direction by the specified angle or greater.

[0027] The control unit, which is contained in the protective film adhesion device 1 and is not shown in the figure, controls the operation of various types of components of the protective film adhesion device 1 and causes the protective film adhesion device 1 to perform an adhesion operation to adhere the protective film 200 to the front surface 101 of the wafer 100 and a cutting operation to cut off the protruding part 201 of the protective film 200. In the present embodiment, the control unit of the protective film adhesion device 1 includes a computer system. The computer system contained in the control unit includes a computing device with a microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU), a storage device with memory such as a solid-state memory (ROM) or a working memory (RAM), and an input / output interface device.The calculation processing device of the control unit performs a calculation according to a computer program stored in the memory device of the control unit and outputs a control signal to the respective components of the protective film adhesion device 1 via the input-output interface device of the control unit.

[0028] Next, this specification will describe an operation of the cutting unit 30 of the protective film adhesion device 1 according to the present embodiment using drawings. Fig. Figure 9 is a top view showing the operation of the cutting unit 30 in Fig. 1 represents. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 9, the cutting unit 30 cuts the protective film 200, which is adhered to the wafer 100 by the film adhesion unit 20, along the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100, while bringing the cutting portion 311 of the cutting blade 31 into contact with the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100 in order to cut off the protruding portion 201. In the present embodiment, the cutting unit 30 cuts the protective film 200 with the cutting portion 311 of the cutting blade 31 from the side of the protective film 200 adhered to the wafer 100. However, the embodiment is not limited to this within the scope of the present invention, and the protective film 200 could also be cut from the side of the wafer 100.

[0029] First, the cutting unit 30 causes the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 of the cutting blade 31 to cut into the protective film 200 and positions the cutting edge 312 in such a state that it is slightly separated from the groove 12 at the top. Then, the cutting unit 30 switches the cylinder 36 from the retracted state to the extended state and tensions the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 to cause the direction to be oriented inwards in the radial direction relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32 by the first tension spring 37. This brings the cutting part 311 into contact with the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100.Next, the cutting unit 30, by rotating the circular plate 32 around its axial center using the rotary drive source, moves the cutting part 311 of the cutting blade 31 along the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100, while the cutting part 311 is brought into contact with the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100. This causes the cutting unit 30 to cut the protective film 200 adhered to the wafer 100 along the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100.

[0030] When the cutting part 311 of the cutting blade 31 moves along the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100 while in contact with the outer circumferential edge 120, while the cutting part 311 receives tension from the first tension spring 37 and the direction of the cutting edge 312 is directed radially inwards relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32, the cutting part 311 receives a reaction force from the outer circumferential edge 120 in conjunction with a pressure against the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100 and the direction of the cutting edge 312 is pushed radially outwards relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32.As a result, when the cutting part 311 of the cutting blade 31 moves along the circular part 121 of the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100 while in contact with the circular part 121, the cutting blade inclination angle is maintained at an angle suitable for cutting the protective film 200 (for example, approximately θ2), as shown in . Fig. 7 shown.

[0031] Since the orientation flattening 110 is formed by cutting off a portion of the wafer 100 inwards relative to the circumference, the reaction force that the cutting portion 311 of the cutting blade 31 receives from the linear portion 122 on which the orientation flattening 110 is formed is weaker than the reaction force received from the circular portion 121. Therefore, when the cutting portion 311 of the cutting blade 31 moves along the linear portion 122 on which the orientation flattening 110 is formed in the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100, while in contact with the linear portion 122, the cutting blade inclination angle becomes a larger angle (for example, approximately θ3) than when the cutting blade portion 311 moves along the circular portion 121, as shown in Fig.Figure 8 illustrates this. When moving along the linear section 122, the cutting section 311 of the cutting blade 31 can move smoothly in such a way that it follows the linear section 122 where the orientation flattening 110 is formed in the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100, because the cutting edge inclination angle is greater than when the cutting section 311 moves along the circular section 121. As above, without specifically controlling the clamping force by the first clamping spring 37, the cutting edge inclination angle of the cutting section 311 of the cutting blade 31 is automatically adjusted according to the shape of the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100, and the path of movement is adjusted to follow the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100.

[0032] Furthermore, the cutting section 311 of the cutting blade 31 is restricted by the damper 38, which has the second tension spring 381 inside, such that the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting section 311 is prevented from tilting inwards in the radial direction by the specified angle or more. Therefore, even when the cutting section 311 moves along the linear section 122 on which the orientation flat 110 is formed, the direction of the cutting edge 312 is prevented from being aligned inwards in the radial direction beyond the range of the cutting edge tilt angle in which the protective film 200 can be cut sufficiently smoothly.Furthermore, the cutting section 311 of the cutting blade 31 is restricted by the damper 39, which has the third tension spring 391 inside, in such a way that the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting section 311 is prevented from tilting outwards in the radial direction by the specified angle or more. Therefore, it is prevented that the direction of the cutting edge 312 is aligned outwards in the radial direction beyond the range of the cutting edge tilt angle in which the protective film 200 can be cut sufficiently smoothly.

[0033] The protective film adhesion device 1, according to the embodiment described above, generates tension via the first tension spring 37 to cause the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 to be oriented radially inwards relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32. Therefore, the protective film adhesion device 1 can easily cause the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 to follow both the circular part 121 of the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100 with the orientation flattening 110 and the linear part 122 of the orientation flattening 110. Thus, according to the embodiment, the protective film adhesion device 1 has the effect that the protective film 200 can also be properly cut for the wafer 100 with the orientation flattening 110 without adding a new actuating element for controlling the table or the cutting blade.

[0034] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, the protective film adhesion device 1 generates a radial outward tension by means of the second tension spring 381 to prevent the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 from being oriented radially inward by the predetermined angle or more relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32. Therefore, the protective film adhesion device 1 can prevent the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 from tilting excessively inward in the radial direction. This has the effect of allowing the protective film 200 to be cut more effectively, even on the linear part 122 where the orientation flattening 110 is formed.

[0035] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, the protective film adhesion device 1 generates a radially inward tension by means of the third tension spring 391 to prevent the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 from being directed radially outward by the predetermined angle or more relative to the circumferential direction of the circular plate 32. Therefore, the protective film adhesion device 1 can prevent the direction of the cutting edge 312 of the cutting part 311 from being excessively inclined outward in the radial direction. This has the effect of enabling the protective film 200 to be cut more effectively, even for the wafer 100, which has the orientation flattening 110.

[0036] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. That is to say, the present invention can be carried out with various modifications without deviating from the basic concept of the present invention. For example, in the embodiment described above, the protective film 200 is cut along the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100, on which the orientation flattening 110 is formed. In the present invention, however, the protective film 200 could be cut along the outer circumferential edge 120 of the wafer 100, where not only the orientation flattening 110, but also a portion formed on the outer circumference by cutting off a part of the wafer 100 into a specific shape relative to the exact circular shape towards the inner circumferential side, is formed.

[0037] The present invention is not limited to the details of the preferred embodiment described above. The scope of protection of the invention is defined by the appended claims, and all modifications and adaptations that fall within the equivalent scope of protection of the claims are therefore included in the invention. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2006005131

[0002]

Claims

[1] Protective film adhesion device for adhering a protective film to a wafer having a circular shape, the protective film adhesion device comprising: a film adhesion unit which adheres the protective film to the wafer held by a table; and a cutting unit which cuts the protective film adhered to the wafer by the film adhesion unit along an outer circumference of the wafer, while a cutting part of a cutting blade is brought into contact with the outer circumference of the wafer, wherein the cutting unit has a cutting blade support part which rotatably supports the cutting blade in such a way that the direction of a cutting edge of the cutting part can be adjusted from an outside in a radial direction of the wafer to an inside, the cutting blade support part has: a first tension spring that creates tension to cause the cutting part to be directed inwards, and a second tension spring that creates tension to cause the cutting part to point outwards, to prevent the cutting part from pointing inwards by a predetermined angle or more, and The direction of the cutting part is set to the specified angle in relation to the outer circumference of the wafer. [2] Protective film adhesion device according to claim 1, wherein the cutting blade support part further comprises a third tension spring which generates tension to prevent the direction of the cutting part from being directed outwards by a predetermined angle or more.

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