Cutting method, method for manufacturing cut product, and cutting device

Abstract

To provide a cutting method, a method for manufacturing a cut product, and a cutting device that prevent the generation of burr on a protective film.SOLUTION: A cutting method for cutting an object 60 having a substrate 63 to which elements are fixed and a protective film 67 bonded to the substrate 63 to protect the elements includes: a temperature decreasing step of decreasing the temperature of the protective film 67 by pouring fluid over the protective film from a fluid discharge part 34; a film cutting step of cutting the protective film 67 after the temperature decreasing step; and a substrate cutting step of cutting the substrate 63 while pouring cutting water at a higher temperature than the fluid over the substrate after the film cutting step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4B

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting method, a method for producing a cut product, and a cutting device. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, a substrate on which a semiconductor chip or the like is fixed is sealed with resin, and then cut into individual pieces by a cutting device to be used as an electronic component. Conventionally, a cutting method for cutting a resin-sealed substrate is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a cutting method for cutting a substrate (a wafer in Patent Document 1) to which a protective film (an adhesive film in Patent Document 1) is adhered. The substrate cutting method includes a film adhering step of adhering a protective film to the back side of the substrate, a film cutting step of cutting at least the protective film from the back side of the substrate, a modified layer forming step of irradiating a laser beam into the substrate to form a modified layer, and a dividing step of dividing the substrate using a breaking roller. In the film cutting step, the protective film is cut using a cutting blade while cutting water is supplied to the protective film on the back side of the substrate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-054894 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When cutting a material, generally, viscous fracture is dominant at high temperatures, and brittle fracture is dominant at low temperatures. Viscous fracture is also called ductile fracture. When viscous fracture is dominant, the material stretches when it is cut, and the material maintains the stretched state after cutting. The stretched portion of the material becomes a burr. On the other hand, when brittle fracture is dominant, the material stretches when it is cut, but returns to its original state after cutting, and burrs are unlikely to occur. When cutting a protective film in the film cutting step of the cutting method described in Patent Document 1, if the protective film is not sufficiently cooled by cutting water, viscous fracture is dominant in the cutting of the protective film, and burrs may occur on the protective film after cutting.

[0006] Therefore, there is a demand for a cutting method, a manufacturing method for cut products, and a cutting device that are less likely to produce burrs on the protective film. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One embodiment of the cutting method of the present invention is a cutting method for cutting an object having a substrate having an element fixed thereto and a protective film adhered to the substrate to protect the element, and includes a low-temperature step of lowering the temperature of the protective film by spraying fluid from a fluid discharge section, a film cutting step of cutting the protective film after the low-temperature step, and a substrate cutting step of cutting the substrate while spraying cutting water having a higher temperature than the fluid after the film cutting step.

[0008] The method for producing a cut product according to the present invention produces a cut product by cutting the object according to the cutting method described above.

[0009] One embodiment of the cutting device of the present invention is a cutting device used in the cutting method described above, and includes a first cutting mechanism used in the film cutting process and a second cutting mechanism used in the substrate cutting process. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide a cutting method, a manufacturing method for a cut product, and a cutting device that are less likely to cause burrs on a protective film. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 10A to 10C are perspective views illustrating a process of bonding a protective film to a substrate. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4A] 11 is a plan view illustrating a process of cutting the protective film by a first cutting mechanism. FIG. [Figure 4B] 11 is a front view illustrating a process of cutting the protective film by a first cutting mechanism. FIG. [Figure 4C] 11 is a left side view illustrating a process of cutting the protective film by the first cutting mechanism. FIG. [Diagram 5] 11 is a perspective view illustrating the substrate after the protective film has been cut by a first cutting mechanism. FIG. [Figure 6A] 11 is a plan view illustrating a process of cutting the substrate by the second cutting mechanism. FIG. [Figure 6B] FIG. 11 is a front view illustrating a process of cutting the substrate by the second cutting mechanism. [Figure 6C] 13 is a left side view illustrating a process of cutting the substrate by the second cutting mechanism. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an electronic component to which a protective film is attached. [Figure 8] 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams illustrating a process for forming a shielding layer on an electronic component. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the electronic component after the protective film has been peeled off. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a protective film is adhered to a substrate of another specification. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a front view showing the first cutting device to which a nozzle of another specification is attached. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a cutting method, a manufacturing method for cut products, and a cutting device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0013] The substrate on which elements such as semiconductor chips are fixed is sealed with resin, and then cut into individual pieces for use as electronic components. A dedicated cutting device is used to cut the resin-sealed substrate.

[0014] Resin sealing of a substrate is performed by placing the substrate on a molding die (not shown) of a resin molding device and supplying liquid molten resin into the molding die. The molten resin may be a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin. Thermosetting resin reduces in viscosity when heated, and polymerizes and hardens when heated further, becoming a hardened resin. When resin sealing a substrate to which elements such as semiconductor chips are fixed, it is desirable to use a thermosetting resin. The elements fixed to the substrate are protected by the sealing resin.

[0015] [Configuration of the object] As shown in FIG. 1, the object 60 to be cut by the cutting device in this embodiment is a substrate 63 on which a plurality of elements 61 are fixed, which is resin-sealed to form a resin package 65 on the side of the elements 61, and a protective film 67 is attached to the side of the substrate 63. The elements 61 are, for example, integrated circuits (semiconductor chips). The protective film 67 has an adhesive layer (not shown) made of an adhesive or the like on the back side, which allows the protective film 67 to be attached to the substrate 63. The electrodes 61a are part of the elements 61, and are exposed on the side of the substrate 63 opposite to the resin package 65. That is, the protective film 67 covers the substrate 63 to protect the electrodes 61a of the elements 61. In this embodiment, a plurality of elements 61 are fixed to one substrate 63, and one element 61 has a plurality of electrodes 61a. In the example of FIG. 1, the number of elements 61 fixed to one substrate 63 is 21, and the number of electrodes 61a that one element 61 has is four. The dashed lines in FIG. 1 indicate the portions to be cut by the cutting device described later.

[0016] [Overall configuration of the cutting device] Hereinafter, a cutting device 1 for cutting and dividing a resin-sealed substrate into individual pieces will be described. FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show a front view and a plan view of the cutting device 1 according to this embodiment, respectively. The cutting device 1 includes a device body 10, a table pan moving mechanism 20, a first cutting mechanism 30, a second cutting mechanism 40, and a control unit 3 for controlling them. The cutting device 1 in this embodiment is a device that fixes an object 60 to the table pan moving mechanism 20, moves the table pan moving mechanism 20 in a straight line with the first cutting mechanism 30 to cut the protective film 67 of the object 60, and then cuts and divides the substrate and the resin package of the object 60 with the second cutting mechanism 40. The operation of the cutting device 1 described below is performed based on an operation command from the control unit 3 unless otherwise specified. In the following description, the operation command from the control unit 3 will be omitted in principle, and will be described as necessary.

[0017] The cutting device 1 of this embodiment is configured to use either the first cutting mechanism 30 or the second cutting mechanism 40 interchangeably with a common device body 10 and table pan moving mechanism 20. The first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 differ in the position of the blade and the shape of the nozzle, but have the same basic configuration. Therefore, in Figures 2 and 3, the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 are illustrated with a common schematic shape.

[0018] [Configuration of the device body] The device body 10 includes a frame 12, a sink pan 13, a collection box 14, a bellows cover 16, and a shutter 18. The sink pan 13 is attached to the frame 12 by a method such as welding, and is disposed on both sides (both sides in the vertical direction in FIG. 3) of the table pan moving mechanism 20 of the cutting device 1 along the movement direction of the table pan moving mechanism 20. The sink pan 13 is for sending scraps 69 generated when the target object 60 is cut by the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 to the collection box 14. The sink pan 13 is provided below the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 of the cutting device 1 in the direction of gravity, and is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction (direction perpendicular to the vertical direction). The inclination angle of the sink pan 13 in the cutting device 1 of this embodiment is about 5 degrees. The sink pan 13 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and water is flowed into the sink pan 13 from a water supply unit (not shown) disposed above the sink pan 13. For this reason, scraps 69 cut by first cutting mechanism 30 and second cutting mechanism 40 and dropped into sink pan 13 are carried by water over sink pan 13 and sent downstream (to the lower left in FIG. 2). Hereinafter, in FIGs. 2 and 3, the left side is referred to as downstream and the right side is referred to as upstream. The inclination angle of sink pan 13 may be more than 5 degrees or less than 5 degrees as long as scraps 69 are smoothly sent downstream.

[0019] At the downstream end of the sink pan 13, a collection box 14 is attached to the frame 12 by a method such as welding and disposed adjacent to the sink pan 13. Scrap materials 69 sent downstream of the sink pan 13 fall into the collection box 14 and are collected. The collection box 14 is configured to be able to collect scrap materials 69 sent to both of the two sink pans 13 disposed on both sides of the table pan moving mechanism 20. The sink pan 13 and the collection box 14 may be attached to the frame 12 by a method such as welding or may be formed integrally with the frame 12. Separate collection boxes 14 may be disposed corresponding to the two sink pans 13, respectively.

[0020] The bellows covers 16 are made of materials such as resin or rubber, and are arranged on both sides along the movement direction of the table pan 21 of the table pan moving mechanism 20 and between the two sink pans 13. That is, the bellows covers 16 are arranged on the upstream and downstream sides of the table pan 21. Hereinafter, the upstream bellows cover 16 will be referred to as the first bellows cover 16a, and the downstream bellows cover 16 will be referred to as the second bellows cover 16b. The first bellows cover 16a and the second bellows cover 16b will be referred to collectively as the bellows cover 16.

[0021] The bellows cover 16 is provided vertically above the ball screw 23 (above in FIG. 2) so as to cover the entire ball screw 23 in order to prevent the ball screw 23 of the table pan moving mechanism 20 described later from being wetted with cutting water used when cutting the target object 60 using the second cutting mechanism 40. The first bellows cover 16a and the second bellows cover 16b each have one end fixed to the table pan 21 and the other end fixed to the frame 12. The bellows cover 16 is arranged so as to expand and contract with the movement of the table pan 21. Specifically, when the table pan 21 moves downstream (left side in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3), the first bellows cover 16a extends and the second bellows cover 16b shortens. Also, when the table pan 21 moves upstream (right side in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3), the first bellows cover 16a shortens and the second bellows cover 16b extends. Even if the bellows cover 16 expands or contracts, one end is fixed to the table pan 21 and the other end is fixed to the frame 12, so that the entire ball screw 23 can always be covered.

[0022] The shutter 18 is disposed above the second bellows cover 16b and covers the entire second bellows cover 16b. The shutter 18 is provided to prevent the second bellows cover 16b from being damaged by the scraps 69 cut by the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 and dropped. The shutter 18 is configured by arranging a plurality of elongated metal thin plates 18a so that they overlap with each other. The overlap amount of the plurality of thin plates 18a can be changed, and this allows the shutter 18 to respond to the expansion and contraction of the second bellows cover 16b. One end of the shutter 18 is fixed to the table pan 21, and the other end is fixed to the frame 12 while protruding vertically above the collection box 14. In addition, each of the plurality of thin plates 18a is overlapped so as to be located above the adjacent thin plate 18a on the downstream side. As a result, when the overlap amount of the thin plate 18a of the shutter 18 increases and the thin plate 18a of the shutter 18 shortens after being cut by the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40, the scrap material 69 that has fallen onto the shutter 18 can be pushed downstream, and can ultimately fall into the collection box 14.

[0023] [Configuration of pan movement mechanism] The table pan moving mechanism 20 includes a table pan 21, a shaft 22, a ball screw 23, a nut 24, a slider 25, and a drive source 26. The table pan 21 has a shaft 22 attached to its lower surface and a cutting table 28 attached to its upper surface. The shaft 22 extends vertically downward from the table pan 21. The shaft 22 extends downward from the sink pan 13, and the lower end of the shaft 22 is connected to a nut 24 coupled to the ball screw 23. The table pan 21 is also fixed to a slider 25 arranged around the shaft 22. The slider 25 is supported by a rail (not shown) arranged on the frame 12 of the device main body 10. The table pan 21, the shaft 22, the nut 24, and the slider 25 are configured to be movable in an upstream direction and a downstream direction along the rail as a unit. The operation of the table pan moving mechanism 20 is controlled by the control unit 3.

[0024] The driving source 26 is a rotary actuator such as a motor, and can apply a driving force to the ball screw 23 to rotate the ball screw 23 in the forward and reverse directions around the axis. Since the shaft 22 is connected to the nut 24, the nut 24 does not rotate even when the ball screw 23 rotates around the axis. Therefore, when the ball screw 23 rotates around the axis, the nut 24 connected to the ball screw 23 moves upstream or downstream. Then, the table pan 21, shaft 22, and slider 25 integrated with the nut 24 move upstream or downstream along the rails as the nut 24 moves.

[0025] [Configuration of the first and second cutting mechanisms] The first cutting mechanism 30 includes a first blade 32, a first nozzle 34 (an example of a fluid discharger), and a first fluid supply unit 36. The first blade 32 is disk-shaped, rotated by a drive unit (not shown) controlled by the control unit 3, and cuts the protective film 67. The first nozzle 34 is for spraying low-temperature air (an example of a fluid) onto the surface of the protective film 67 in order to cool the protective film 67 when the protective film 67 is cut. The protective film 67 is cooled in order to make brittle fracture dominant by lowering the temperature when the protective film 67 is cut, thereby suppressing the generation of burrs due to cutting.

[0026] The first fluid supply unit 36 ​​cools the air to be sprayed on the protective film 67 and supplies it to the first nozzle 34. Specifically, the air is cooled to less than 0 degrees in the first fluid supply unit 36. Hereinafter, the air cooled to less than 0 degrees in the first fluid supply unit 36 ​​is also referred to as low-temperature air. The temperature of the low-temperature air is, for example, -20 degrees. The method of cooling the air can be, for example, a method of indirectly cooling the air by absorbing heat from the air through compression and expansion of a refrigerant. A method of sending out low-temperature air from the first nozzle 34 using a pump or the like is well known, so a detailed description will be omitted. The first fluid supply unit 36 ​​sends out low-temperature air cooled to less than 0 degrees to the first nozzle 34 and sprays the low-temperature air on the protective film 67. The temperature of the low-temperature air sprayed on the protective film 67 is desirably less than 0 degrees even on the surface of the protective film 67, but may be 0 degrees or higher. In addition, the method of directly cooling the air by compression and expansion of a refrigerant may be used, or the air may be indirectly cooled by liquid nitrogen.

[0027] The second cutting mechanism 40 includes a second blade 42, a second nozzle 44, and a second fluid supply unit 46. The second blade 42 is disk-shaped and rotates by a drive unit (not shown) controlled by the control unit 3 to cut the substrate and the resin package at once. The thickness (width) of the second blade 42 is thinner than that of the first blade 32. The second nozzle 44 is for spraying cutting water onto the surface of the substrate and the resin package in order to cool the substrate and the resin package when cutting the substrate and the resin package. The substrate and the resin package are cooled in order to suppress frictional heat generated between the substrate and the resin package and the second blade 42 during cutting, thereby preventing deformation and deterioration of the substrate and the resin package.

[0028] The second fluid supply unit 46 cools the cutting water to be sprayed from the second nozzle 44 onto the substrate and the resin package and supplies it to the second nozzle 44. Specifically, in the second fluid supply unit 46, the temperature of the cutting water is, for example, 10 degrees to 25 degrees, which is higher than the temperature of low-temperature air. The cutting water may or may not be cooled. Methods of cooling the cutting water and methods of applying pressure to the cutting water and sending it out are well known, so detailed explanations will be omitted. The second fluid supply unit 46 sends out cooled or uncooled cutting water to the second nozzle 44, and the cutting water is sprayed onto the substrate and the resin package.

[0029] [Low temperature process] Next, a cutting method for cutting the protective film 67 of the target object 60 by the first cutting mechanism 30 of the cutting device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 4A to 4C. Note that in Figures 4A to 4C, the device body 10, the table pan 21 of the table pan moving mechanism 20, the ball screw 23, etc. are omitted from illustration.

[0030] The target object 60 is fixed to the cutting table 28 by means of air suction, adhesive tape for fixing, or the like (not shown). The first blade 32 and the first nozzle 34 of the first cutting mechanism 30 of the cutting device 1 are located downstream of the target object 60 before the protective film 67 of the target object 60 is cut (before the cutting table 28 moves downstream). The cut portion of the target object 60 is the boundary portion that will become an adjacent electronic component by being cut.

[0031] The first nozzle 34 of the first cutting mechanism 30 in this embodiment branches into five just before the first outlet 34a, and the five first outlets 34a are spaced apart from each other and arranged in a straight line along the cutting direction of the protective film 67.

[0032] Before driving the table pan moving mechanism, air is cooled to below 0 degrees by the first fluid supply unit 36, and the cooled low-temperature air is simultaneously sprayed in a straight line onto the surface of the protective film 67 from the five first blowing outlets 34a of the first nozzle 34. This cools at least the periphery of the portion of the protective film 67 that will be cut by the first blade 32 (cooling process).

[0033] If the temperature of the low-temperature air is lower than the temperature of the cutting water, there is a possibility that brittle fracture will predominate in the cutting of the protective film 67. If brittle fracture will predominate in the cutting of the protective film 67, the temperature of the low-temperature air is not limited to a temperature below 0 degrees. If the temperature of the cutting water becomes below 0 degrees, the cutting water will solidify. For this reason, the temperature of the cutting water cannot be lowered to a temperature below 0 degrees. For this reason, if it is necessary to make the temperature of the cutting water below 0 degrees in order to make brittle fracture predominate in the cutting of the protective film 67, it is preferable to use the temperature of the low-temperature air.

[0034] [Film cutting process] After the low temperature air has been applied for a predetermined time, or after the temperature of the protective film 67 has fallen below a predetermined temperature as determined by a known temperature detection means, the control unit 3 drives the table pan movement mechanism to bring the object 60 closer to the first blade 32 and rotate the first blade 32. When viewed in the direction shown in Fig. 4B, the first blade 32 rotates counterclockwise. As a result, the end material 69 of the cut protective film 67 is blown to the left of the object 60, that is, in the direction of the second bellows cover 16b covered by the shutter 18 (see also Fig. 2).

[0035] Next, the driving source 26 of the table pan moving mechanism 20 is driven to rotate the ball screw 23, and the table pan 21 is moved leftward in Fig. 4B from Fig. 4A. Accordingly, the cutting table 28 and the object 60 on the cutting table 28 also move leftward. Then, as shown in Fig. 4C, the peripheral edge of the first blade 32 cuts the protective film 67 (film cutting process).

[0036] The low-temperature air is sprayed on the surface of the protective film 67 while the first blade 32 is cutting the protective film 67. That is, while the object 60 is moved, the low-temperature air is sprayed on multiple points of the protective film 67 at the same time. As a result, the points of the protective film 67 to be cut are continuously kept at a low temperature, so that brittle fracture predominates in the destruction caused by cutting, and the generation of burrs on the cut surface is suppressed. In the example of FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the number of points to which the low-temperature air is sprayed at the same time is five. The temperature of the low-temperature air can be lowered to a temperature lower than the temperature of the cutting water. Regarding destruction caused by cutting of the protective film 67, when the temperature of the protective film 67 cannot be lowered to a low temperature at which brittle fracture predominates using cutting water, low-temperature air is used.

[0037] After the protective film 67 has been cut in one direction, the control unit 3 rotates the ball screw 23 in the reverse direction to move the table pan 21 including the object 60 to the right, returning the positional relationship between the first blade 32 and the object 60 to the state shown in FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B. Then, a moving mechanism (not shown) moves the first blade 32 upward or downward in FIG. 4A (leftward or rightward in FIG. 4C) so that the first blade 32 faces the next cutting portion of the object 60. Then, the first blade 32 cuts the next cutting portion. This process is repeated.

[0038] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned cutting is repeated twice, and then the placement direction of the object 60 on the cutting table 28 is changed by 90 degrees by a handling means (not shown), and the same cutting is repeated six times. As a result, the object 60 is divided into a plurality of pieces while only the protective film 67 is cut and adhered to the substrate 63, as shown in Fig. 5. In the example of Fig. 5, the protective film 67 of the object 60 is divided into 21 pieces.

[0039] [Substrate cutting process] Next, a cutting method for cutting the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 of the object 60 by the second cutting mechanism 40 of the cutting device 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 6A to 6C. First, in the cutting device 1 after the film cutting process is completed, the first cutting mechanism 30 is replaced with the second cutting mechanism 40. The second blade 42 and the second nozzle 44 of the second cutting mechanism 40 are located downstream of the object 60 before the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 of the object 60 are cut (before the cutting table 28 moves downstream). The cut portion of the object 60 is a boundary portion that will become an adjacent electronic component by being cut, and is a portion where the protective film 67 was cut and removed in the film cutting process.

[0040] The second nozzle 44 of the second cutting mechanism 40 of this embodiment has one second outlet 44a, unlike the first nozzle 34. The second outlet 44a of the second nozzle 44 is positioned so as to spray cutting water toward a location (an end of the target object 60) that is closest to the second blade 42 at a location where the protective film 67 has been removed by cutting with the first cutting mechanism 30.

[0041] Before driving the table pan moving mechanism, the cutting water is cooled by the second fluid supply unit 46, and the cooled cutting water is sprayed from the second outlet 44a of the second nozzle 44 to spray onto the surface of the substrate 63. This cools at least the periphery of the portion of the substrate 63 to be cut by the second blade 42. The substrate 63 and the resin package 65 have a higher hardness and a larger cutting thickness than the protective film 67. Therefore, the amount of heat generated per unit time when cutting the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 is greater than the amount of heat generated per unit time when cutting the protective film 67. The mass of low-temperature air, which is a gas, supplied to the cutting portion (the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 in this embodiment) per unit time is smaller than that of cutting water, which is a liquid. The amount of heat absorbed by the supplied material is proportional to the mass of the material. Therefore, when low-temperature air is used, the heat generated when cutting the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 cannot be sufficiently released. For this reason, cutting is performed using cutting water. By spraying a large amount of cutting water, the heat can be efficiently released.

[0042] Simultaneously with or after the cutting water is sprayed, the table pan movement mechanism is driven to bring the target object 60 closer to the second blade 42 and rotate the second blade 42. When viewed in the direction shown in Fig. 6B, the second blade 42 rotates counterclockwise. As a result, the cut substrate 63 and scrap material 69 of the resin package 65 are blown to the left of the target object 60, that is, in the direction of the second bellows cover 16b covered by the shutter 18 (see also Fig. 2).

[0043] Next, the driving source 26 of the table pan moving mechanism 20 is driven to rotate the ball screw 23, and the table pan 21 is moved leftward in FIG. 6B from FIG. 6A. Accordingly, the cutting table 28 and the object 60 on the cutting table 28 also move leftward. Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, the periphery of the second blade 42 cuts the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 (substrate cutting process). Note that a clearance groove 28a is formed in the cutting table 28, so that the second blade 42, which cuts the substrate 63 and the resin package 65, does not cut the cutting table 28.

[0044] The cutting water is sprayed on the surface of the substrate 63 while the second blade 42 is cutting the substrate 63 and the resin package 65. As a result, the cutting portion of the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 continues to be in a low temperature state, so that the generation of frictional heat due to cutting is suppressed. The cutting water sprayed from the second outlet 44a of the second nozzle 44 and sprayed on the substrate 63 bounces off the surface of the substrate 63 and wets the cutting device 1, but the ball screw 23, the nut 24, and the driving source 26 are covered by the first bellows cover 16a and the second bellows cover 16b, so they do not get wet (see also FIG. 2). As described above, the thickness (width) of the second blade 42 is thinner than the thickness of the first blade 32, so the first cutting width d1 of the protective film 67 cut by the first blade 32 is larger than the second cutting width d2 of the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 by the second blade 42 (see FIGS. 4C and 6C). Therefore, the protective film 67 is not cut by the second blade 42. The first cutting width d1 may be the same as the second cutting width d2.

[0045] After the substrate 63 and the resin package 65 have been cut in one direction, the table pan moving mechanism 20 rotates the ball screw 23 in the reverse direction to move the table pan 21 including the object 60 to the right, returning the positional relationship between the second blade 42 and the object 60 to the state shown in Fig. 6A to Fig. 6B. Then, a moving mechanism (not shown) moves the second blade 42 upward or downward in Fig. 6A (leftward or rightward in Fig. 6C) so that the second blade 42 faces the next cutting portion of the object 60. Then, the second blade 42 cuts the next cutting portion. This process is repeated.

[0046] In this embodiment, after the above-mentioned cutting is repeated twice, the placement direction of the target object 60 on the cutting table 28 is changed by 90 degrees by a handling means (not shown), and the same cutting is repeated six times. As a result, the target object 60 is divided into individual pieces, and a plurality of electronic components 60a (an example of a cut product) with protective films 67 adhered thereto is obtained, as shown in FIG. 7. When the target object 60 shown in FIG. 5 is divided into individual pieces, 21 electronic components 60a are obtained. The obtained plurality of electronic components 60a are transported from the cutting table 28 by a transport mechanism (not shown).

[0047] As described above, when cutting is performed using the cutting device 1, burrs are less likely to occur on the cut surface of the protective film 67. As a result, among the multiple electronic components 60a obtained by singulating the target object 60, almost none of the electronic components 60a have burrs. The multiple electronic components 60a obtained by singulating the target object 60 are adsorbed by a conveying mechanism. For electronic components 60a with burrs, there is a possibility that adsorption will not be performed properly due to the burrs. When cutting is performed using the cutting device 1, almost none of the electronic components 60a have burrs, so conveying problems are less likely to occur.

[0048] [Shield layer forming process] Next, the electronic component 60a to which the protective film 67 is attached is placed in a chamber of a known sputtering device (not shown), and as shown in FIG. 8, sputtering is performed using a sputtering target 50 made of a conductive material to form a shield layer 52 on the surface of the electronic component 60a. By forming the shield layer 52, the element 61 built in the electronic component 60a can be protected from external noise and the like. After the shield layer 52 is formed, the electronic component 60a is removed from the sputtering device, and the protective film 67 is peeled off. This completes the electronic component 60a as shown in FIG. 9. The electrode 61a of the element 61 built in the electronic component 60a is covered with the protective film 67 during sputtering, so the shield layer 52 is not formed on the electrode 61a.

[0049] [Another embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment different from the embodiment described above will be described. Note that, for ease of understanding, the same terms and reference numerals will be used for the same members as those in the embodiment described above.

[0050] <1> In the above-described embodiment, the electrodes 61a exposed from the substrate 63 on which the element 61 is fixed are protected by the protective film 67, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, in a configuration in which an integrated circuit 71 (one example of an element) is fixed in an exposed state in each of a plurality of recesses 75a formed in a resin housing 75 formed on a substrate 73, a protective film 67 for protecting the integrated circuit 71 may be adhered to the surface of the resin housing 75 to form the target object 70. With this configuration, when cutting the substrate 73 and the resin housing 75 to obtain an electronic component, it is possible to prevent cutting water from entering the recesses 75a and wetting the integrated circuit 71. An example of the integrated circuit 71 is a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System).

[0051] <2> In the above-described embodiment, the first nozzle 34 of the first cutting mechanism 30 has a plurality of first outlets 34a (five in this embodiment) that are branched, spaced apart from one another, and linearly arranged along the cutting direction of the protective film 67, but this is not limited thereto. As shown in Fig. 11, the first nozzle 34 may have only one first outlet 34a formed in a straight line (elongated rectangular shape). Even if the first outlet 34a has such a shape, the protective film 67 can be cooled by spraying low-temperature air linearly along the cutting direction of the first blade 32.

[0052] <3> In the above-described embodiment, the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 are replaced in one cutting device 1 to perform the film cutting process and the substrate cutting process, but this is not limited thereto. The cutting device 1 having the first cutting mechanism 30 and the cutting device 1 having the second cutting mechanism 40 may be separate devices. In this case, after the film cutting process, the target object 60 from which the protective film 67 has been cut is transported from the cutting device 1 having the first cutting mechanism 30 to the cutting device 1 having the second cutting mechanism 40. After the substrate cutting process, the obtained plurality of electronic components 60a are transported from the cutting device 1 having the second cutting mechanism 40. Even in this case, since there are almost no electronic components 60a with burrs among the obtained plurality of electronic components 60a, transport problems are unlikely to occur.

[0053] <4> In the above-described embodiment, the first blade 32 and the first nozzle 34 of the first cutting mechanism 30 are fixed, and the objects 60, 70 are moved to cut the protective film 67. In addition, the second blade 42 and the second nozzle 44 of the second cutting mechanism 40 are fixed, and the objects 60, 70 are moved to cut the substrate 63 and the resin package 65. However, the cutting of the objects 60, 70 is not limited to this mode. For example, instead of or together with the movement of the objects 60, 70, the first blade 32 and the first nozzle 34, the second blade 42 and the second nozzle 44 may be moved to cut the objects 60, 70. In other words, it is sufficient that the first blade 32 and the first nozzle 34, the second blade 42 and the second nozzle 44, and the objects 60, 70 are moved relatively to each other, and the relative positional relationship between them can be changed.

[0054] <5> In the above-described embodiment, the table pan 21 is moved linearly by the ball screw 23 and the nut 24, but this is not limited to the above. The table pan 21 may be configured to be directly movable linearly by using a linear actuator.

[0055] <6> In the above-described embodiment, the protective film 67 is cooled by spraying it with low-temperature air, but in addition to this, the cutting table 28 may be configured to be cooled by a known method. By cooling the cutting table 28, the resin package 65 is also cooled when the protective film 67 is cooled. This cools both sides of the substrate 63, thereby suppressing warping of the substrate 63 that may occur when only one side (protective film 67) is cooled.

[0056] <7> In the above-described embodiment, the air is cooled by the refrigerant in the first fluid supply unit 36, but liquid nitrogen (one example of a fluid) itself may be supplied to the first nozzle 34. Since the boiling point of liquid nitrogen is −196° C., even if liquid nitrogen is supplied to the first nozzle 34, it is vaporized before being sprayed from the first outlet 34a. This allows the protective film 67 to be cooled even further.

[0057] [Summary of the above embodiment] The cutting method, the method for producing the cut product, and the cutting device 1 described in the above embodiment will be outlined below.

[0058] (1) The cutting method is characterized in that it is a cutting method for cutting an object 60, 70 having a substrate 63, 73 on which an element 61 and an integrated circuit 71 are fixed, and a protective film 67 adhered to the substrate 63, 73 to protect the element 61 and the integrated circuit 71, and includes a low-temperature step of lowering the temperature of the protective film 67 by spraying fluid from the fluid discharge section (first nozzle 34), a film cutting step of cutting the protective film 67 after the low-temperature step, and a substrate cutting step of cutting the substrate 63, 73 while spraying cutting water that is hotter than the fluid after the film cutting step.

[0059] In the cutting method having this characteristic, the film cutting step is performed after the low-temperature step of lowering the temperature of the protective film 67, so that brittle fracture is predominant in the cutting of the protective film 67, and burrs are less likely to occur on the cut surface of the protective film 67. In addition, since the substrate cutting step is performed after the film cutting step, the protective film 67 and the substrates 63, 73 can be cut under optimized conditions, respectively, compared to the case where the protective film 67 and the substrates 63, 73 are cut simultaneously.

[0060] (2) In the cutting method described in (1) above, the fluid may be cold air that is cooled to below 0 degrees and then sprayed onto the protective film 67.

[0061] According to this method, the low-temperature air blown onto the protective film 67 has a low temperature, so that the protective film 67 is cut by predominantly brittle fracture, and burrs are less likely to occur on the cut surface of the protective film 67.

[0062] (3) In the cutting method described in (1) or (2) above, in the low-temperature step, the fluid may be sprayed simultaneously onto multiple locations on the protective film 67 while the object 60, 70 is moved relative to the fluid ejection section (first nozzle 34).

[0063] According to this method, the cutting portion of the protective film 67 can be cooled to a sufficiently low temperature before the protective film 67 is cut.

[0064] (4) In the cutting method described in (1) or (2) above, in the cooling step, the fluid may be sprayed linearly onto the protective film 67 while the object 60, 70 is moved relative to the fluid discharge portion (first nozzle 34).

[0065] According to this method, the cutting portion of the protective film 67 can be continuously cooled to a low temperature even before the protective film 67 is cut.

[0066] (5) In the cutting method described in any one of (1) to (4) above, the first cut width d1 of the protective film 67 cut in the film cutting process may be larger than the second cut width d2 of the substrate 63, 73 cut in the substrate cutting process.

[0067] With this method, the cut surface of the protective film 67 is not cut during the substrate cutting step.

[0068] (6) In the cutting method described in any one of (1) to (5) above, the object 60 further has a resin package 65 covering the substrate 63 on the side opposite the protective film 67, and the method may further include, after the substrate cutting step, a shield layer formation step of forming a shield layer 52 on the surface of the object 60 excluding the protective film 67.

[0069] With this method, the shield layer 52 is not formed on the area covered with the protective film 67. In addition, the protective film 67 can prevent the shield material from adhering to the substrate 63.

[0070] (7) A cut product (electronic component 60a) is manufactured by cutting the object 60 according to any one of the cutting methods described in (1) to (6) above.

[0071] According to this manufacturing method, it is possible to manufacture a cut product (electronic component 60a) in which burrs are unlikely to occur on the cut surface of protective film 67.

[0072] (8) The characteristic configuration of the cutting device 1 used in any one of the cutting methods described in (1) to (6) above is that it includes a first cutting mechanism 30 used in the film cutting process and a second cutting mechanism 40 used in the substrate cutting process.

[0073] With this configuration, compared to cutting the protective film 67 and the substrates 63, 73 at the same time, the first cutting mechanism 30 and the second cutting mechanism 40 can each cut the protective film 67 and the substrates 63, 73 with a configuration optimized for each. [Industrial Applicability]

[0074] The present invention can be used in a cutting method, a method for producing a cut product, and a cutting apparatus. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1: Cutting device 30: 1st cutting mechanism 34: First nozzle (fluid discharge part) 40:Second cutting mechanism 52: Shield layer 60: Object 60a: Electronic parts (cut products) 61: Element 63: Substrate 65: Resin package 67: Protective film 70: Object 71: Integrated circuits (elements) 73: Substrate d1: 1st cutting width d2: 2nd cutting width

Claims

1. A cutting method for cutting an object having a substrate on which an element is fixed and a protective film adhered to the substrate to protect the element, comprising the steps of: a cooling step of cooling the protective film by spraying a fluid from a fluid discharge portion; a film cutting step of cutting the protective film after the low-temperature step; a substrate cutting step of cutting the substrate while spraying cutting water having a temperature higher than that of the fluid after the film cutting step.

2. 2. The cutting method according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is cold air that is cooled to below 0 degrees and then sprayed onto the protective film.

3. The cutting method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the temperature reducing step, the fluid is sprayed simultaneously onto a plurality of positions on the protective film while the object is moved relatively to the fluid discharge portion.

4. The cutting method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the temperature reducing step, the fluid is sprayed linearly onto the protective film while the object is moved relatively to the fluid discharge portion.

5. The cutting method according to claim 1 , wherein a first cut width of the protective film cut in the film cutting step is larger than a second cut width of the substrate cut in the substrate cutting step.

6. the object further includes a resin package covering the substrate on the opposite side of the protective film; The cutting method according to claim 1 , further comprising, after the substrate cutting step, a shield layer forming step of forming a shield layer on a surface of the object excluding the protective film.

7. A method for producing a cut product, comprising: cutting the object according to the cutting method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 to produce the cut product.

8. A cutting device used in the cutting method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, A first cutting mechanism used in the film cutting step; and a second cutting mechanism used in the substrate cutting step.

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