Temperature application device and temperature application method

Abstract

To provide a temperature application device and a temperature application method capable of smoothly dividing a wafer into individual chips without being affected by differences in the amount of expansion of a dicing tape.SOLUTION: A temperature application device reduces the difference in the amount of expansion of a dicing tape that occurs when dividing a wafer into individual chips by expanding the dicing tape with a wafer attached thereto using an expanding ring, and includes temperature application means that locally makes the area of the dicing tape outside the expanding ring lower in temperature than the area to which the wafer is attached.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a work dividing apparatus and a work dividing method, and more particularly to a work dividing apparatus and a work dividing method for dividing a work such as a semiconductor wafer having a division planned line pre-processed thereon into individual chips.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in manufacturing a semiconductor chip (hereinafter referred to as a chip), for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) having a division planned line pre-processed therein by laser irradiation or the like is divided into individual chips (also referred to as singulation) along the division planned line. A work dividing apparatus is known (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] The wafer is attached to a dicing tape (hereinafter also referred to as an expansion tape) via a film-like adhesive material such as DAF (Die Attach Film) or an LC tape (trade name: manufactured by Lintec Corporation) and a chip protection material. The work dividing apparatus expands the dicing tape (hereinafter referred to as expand), thereby singulating the wafer, the film-like adhesive material, and the chip protection material into individual chips.

[0004] FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a wafer unit 2 to which a wafer 1 to be divided by a work dividing apparatus is attached. FIG. 10(A) is a perspective view of the wafer unit 2, and FIG. 10(B) is a cross-sectional view of the wafer unit 2.

[0005] The wafer unit 2 is composed of a wafer 1, a film-like adhesive material 3, a dicing tape 4, and a frame 5. The wafer 1 is attached to a dicing tape 4 having a thickness of about 100 μm with an adhesive layer formed on its surface via a film-like adhesive material 3. The outer peripheral portion of the dicing tape 4 is fixed to a rigid ring-shaped frame 5.

[0006] In a workpiece dividing apparatus, the frame 5 of the wafer unit 2 is fixed, and then the dicing tape 4 is pushed up and expanded by the ascending operation of the expanding ring. As a result, the wafer 1 is divided into individual chips 6.

[0007] By the way, the dicing tape 4 has a low Young's modulus and is flexible, and the film-like adhesive 3 generally has high viscosity near room temperature. Therefore, in order to smoothly divide the wafer 1 into individual chips 6, it is necessary to cool the dicing tape 4 and the film-like adhesive 3 to make them brittle and then expand the dicing tape 4.

[0008] As a method for cooling the expansion tape, an atmosphere cooling method disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known, and as a method for cooling the film-like adhesive, a low-temperature chuck table method disclosed in Patent Document 2 is known.

[0009] Here, in this specification, in the dicing tape 4, the region where the wafer 1 is attached via the film-like adhesive 3, that is, the region where the wafer 1 is divided, is referred to as the "division region 4A", and the region formed outside the division region 4A is referred to as the "non-division region 4B". This non-division region 4B is the region excluding the "fixed region 4C" fixed to the frame 5 in the dicing tape 4.

[0010] Patent Document 1 discloses a method of cooling the expansion tape to 10 to -15°C with cold air by bringing a cooling means close to the portion corresponding to the non-division region 4B, or a method of cooling the expansion tape with cold air from a cold air introduction part. However, both methods are methods of cooling the atmosphere including the expansion tape to cool the expansion tape.

[0011] On the other hand, the low-temperature chuck table method of Patent Document 2 is a method of locally cooling the film-like adhesive through the dicing tape by bringing a low-temperature chuck table into contact with the portion corresponding to the division region 4A of the dicing tape.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0012] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-146722 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-164233 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0013] By the way, the film-like adhesive 3 shown in FIG. 10 generally has a larger Young's modulus than the dicing tape 4. Due to such a difference in Young's modulus, the divided region 4A of the dicing tape 4 to which the film-like adhesive 3 is attached tends to have a smaller expansion amount during expansion than the non-divided region 4B. That is, the hardness of the divided region 4A is dominated by the hardness of the film-like adhesive 3 and becomes harder than the non-divided region 4B.

[0014] Therefore, the work dividing apparatuses of Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the following problems.

[0015] The atmosphere cooling method of Patent Document 1 is a method of cooling the atmosphere to cool the expansion tape. In other words, since it is a method of cooling the entire expansion tape, the difference in the expansion amount between the divided region and the non-divided region of the expansion tape does not shrink, and only the non-divided region tends to expand. For this reason, there has been a problem that even if the expansion tape is expanded, the divided region cannot be expanded to a desired expansion amount, and the wafer cannot be smoothly divided into individual chips.

[0016] On the other hand, the low-temperature chuck table cooling method of Patent Document 2 is a method of locally cooling the divided region by the low-temperature chuck table. Therefore, the non-divided region tends to expand more easily than the atmosphere cooling method of Patent Document 1, and there has been a problem that this method also cannot smoothly divide the wafer into individual chips.

[0017] In addition, the above-described problem may also occur in a wafer unit without a film-like adhesive. That is, since the hardness of the divided region is governed by the hardness of the wafer, there is a problem that the wafer cannot be smoothly divided into individual chips due to the influence of the difference in the expansion amount between the divided region and the non-divided region of the dicing tape.

[0018] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a work dividing apparatus and a work dividing method capable of smoothly dividing a wafer into individual chips without being affected by the difference in the expansion amount of the dicing tape.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0019] The work dividing apparatus of the present invention, in order to achieve the object of the present invention, in a work dividing apparatus for dividing a wafer attached to a dicing tape and mounted on a ring-shaped frame into individual chips, the dicing tape has a divided region to which the wafer is attached and a non-divided region formed outside the divided region, and includes a temperature difference generating means for generating a temperature difference such that the non-divided region becomes relatively lower in temperature than the divided region, and an expanding means for expanding the dicing tape in which the temperature difference has been generated by the temperature difference generating means.

[0020] The work dividing method of the present invention, in order to achieve the object of the present invention, in a work dividing method for dividing a wafer attached to a dicing tape and mounted on a ring-shaped frame into individual chips, the dicing tape has a divided region to which the wafer is attached and a non-divided region formed outside the divided region, and includes a temperature difference generating step for generating a temperature difference such that the non-divided region becomes relatively lower in temperature than the divided region, and an expanding step for expanding the dicing tape in which the temperature difference has been generated.

[0021] According to the present invention, a temperature difference (temperature of the divided region > temperature of the non-divided region) is generated such that the non-divided region is relatively at a lower temperature than the divided region, and the hardness of the non-divided region is made close to the hardness of the divided region, or the hardness of the non-divided region is made harder than the hardness of the divided region. Thereby, when expanding the dicing tape, the difference in the expansion amounts between the divided region and the non-divided region of the dicing tape can be eliminated or reduced, so that a desired expansion amount suitable for dividing the wafer can be obtained. Therefore, the wafer can be smoothly divided into individual chips without being affected by the difference in the expansion amount of the dicing tape.

[0022] In one aspect of the workpiece dividing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the temperature difference generating means includes a first temperature applying means for applying a first temperature to the divided region and a second temperature applying means for applying a second temperature lower than the first temperature to the non-divided region.

[0023] In one aspect of the workpiece dividing method of the present invention, in the temperature difference generating step, it is preferable to apply a first temperature to the divided region and a second temperature lower than the first temperature to the non-divided region.

[0024] In one aspect of the workpiece dividing apparatus of the present invention, the expanding means preferably includes an expanding ring for pushing up the non-divided region of the dicing tape, and the second temperature applying means preferably applies the second temperature to a region located between the outer peripheral portion of the expanding ring and the inner peripheral portion of the frame in the non-divided region.

[0025] In one aspect of the workpiece dividing method of the present invention, in the temperature difference generating step, it is preferable to apply the second temperature to a region located between the outer peripheral portion of the expanding ring for expanding the dicing tape and the inner peripheral portion of the frame in the non-divided region.

[0026] In one aspect of the workpiece dividing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the temperature difference generating means includes an atmosphere cooling means for cooling the atmosphere including the dicing tape and a local cooling means for locally cooling the non-divided region of the dicing tape.

[0027] In one aspect of the workpiece dividing method of the present invention, it is preferable that the temperature difference generation step includes an atmosphere cooling step of cooling the atmosphere including the dicing tape and a local cooling step of locally cooling the dividing region of the dicing tape.

[0028] In one aspect of the workpiece dividing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the temperature difference generation means includes an atmosphere cooling means of cooling the atmosphere including the dicing tape and a local heating means of locally heating the dividing region of the dicing tape.

[0029] In one aspect of the workpiece dividing method of the present invention, it is preferable that the temperature difference generation step includes an atmosphere cooling step of cooling the atmosphere including the dicing tape and a local heating step of locally heating the dividing region of the dicing tape.

[0030] In one aspect of the workpiece dividing method of the present invention, it is preferable that the wafer is attached to the dicing tape via a film-like adhesive.

Advantages of the Invention

[0031] According to the present invention, the wafer can be smoothly divided into individual chips without being affected by the difference in the amount of expansion of the dicing tape.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0032]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 4

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Figure 10

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0033] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the work division device and the work division method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the following embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[0034] 〔Work Division Device 10A of the First Embodiment〕 FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the work division device 10A according to the first embodiment.

[0035] The work division device 10A includes a first temperature applying means and a second temperature applying means that constitute a temperature difference generating means. That is, the work division device 10A includes a disk-shaped low-temperature chuck table 12 corresponding to the first temperature applying means, and a ring-shaped low-temperature plate 14 corresponding to the second temperature applying means, and also includes an expand ring 16 that constitutes an expand means.

[0036] On the flat upper surface 12A of the low-temperature chuck table 12, as an example, the dicing tape 4 of the wafer unit 2 shown in FIG. 10 is placed. The wafer unit 2 is configured by mounting a disk-shaped wafer 1 on a frame 5 via a dicing tape 4. Further, the wafer 1 is attached to the dicing tape 4 via a film-like adhesive 3 such as DAF or LC tape. Among the dicing tape 4 of this wafer unit 2, a circular dividing region 4A placed on the upper surface 12A of the low-temperature chuck table 12 is cooled by the low-temperature chuck table 12, and a part of a ring-shaped non-dividing region 4B formed outside the dividing region 4A of the dicing tape 4, i.e., a region 4E, is placed on the flat upper surface 14A of the low-temperature plate 14 and cooled. This region 4E is a ring-shaped region between the outer peripheral portion 16A of the expand ring 16 and the inner peripheral portion 5A of the frame 5. That is, among the dicing tape 4, a ring-shaped pushing-up region 4D where the upper surface 16B of the expand ring 16 contacts is excluded from the region 4E cooled by the low-temperature plate 14. The reason for this will be described later.

[0037] The thickness of the wafer 1 is, for example, about 50 μm, and the thickness of the film-like adhesive 3 is about several μm to 100 μm. Further, as the dicing tape 4, for example, a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) - based tape is used. Furthermore, as the film-like adhesive 3, a base material having a higher Young's modulus than the dicing tape 4, for example, a PO (polyolefin) - based material, is used.

[0038] The low-temperature chuck table 12 applies a first temperature in a contact manner to a part of the dicing tape 4 existing in the dividing region 4A, the entire film-like adhesive 3, and the entire wafer 1 by holding the dividing region 4A of the dicing tape 4 by vacuum suction. The first temperature is, for example, 5°C or lower, preferably about 5°C to -5°C. Thereby, the dividing region 4A is cooled to the first temperature by the low-temperature chuck table 12.

[0039] As a cooling method for the divided area 4A by the low-temperature chuck table 12, there is a method of supplying a refrigerant inside the low-temperature chuck table 12, but a method of freezing the upper surface 12A of the low-temperature chuck table 12 using the Peltier effect may also be adopted. Thereby, only the divided area 4A is selectively cooled by the low-temperature chuck table 12.

[0040] The reason for cooling the divided area 4A by the low-temperature chuck table 12 is to make it easier to divide by cooling the film-like adhesive 3 to make it brittle. That is, the film-like adhesive 3 has a high viscosity at room temperature, and even if the dicing tape 4 is pushed up from below by the expanding ring 16, the film-like adhesive 3 will stretch with the dicing tape 4 and will not be divided.

[0041] The diameter of the low-temperature chuck table 12 is preferably substantially equal to the diameter of the wafer 1. For example, if the diameter of the wafer 1 is 8 inches (diameter of about 200 mm), the diameter of the upper surface of the low-temperature chuck table 12 is preferably also substantially 8 inches.

[0042] When the low-temperature plate 14 has the region 4E of the dicing tape 4 placed on its upper surface 14A, a second temperature lower than the first temperature is imparted to the region 4E of the dicing tape 4 in a contact manner. The second temperature is preferably, for example, 5°C lower than the first temperature. In this case, the second temperature is about 0 to -10°C. Thereby, a temperature difference is generated such that the region 4E becomes relatively low temperature with respect to the divided area 4A.

[0043] As a cooling method for the region 4E by the low-temperature plate 14, similar to the low-temperature chuck table 12, there is a method of supplying a refrigerant inside the low-temperature plate 14. Also, a method of freezing the upper surface 14A of the low-temperature plate 14 using the Peltier effect may be adopted. Thereby, the region 4E is locally cooled by the low-temperature plate 14.

[0044] The reason for cooling the region 4E to a temperature lower than that of the divided region 4A by the low-temperature plate 14 is to make the hardness of the region 4E closer to that of the divided region 4A or to make the hardness of the region 4E harder than that of the divided region 4A. That is, to ensure that the expansion force transmitted from the expander 16 to the dicing tape 4 is transmitted from the region 4E to the divided region 4A, expand the divided region 4A to the desired expansion amount, and smoothly divide the wafer 1 into individual chips 6.

[0045] Since the dicing tape 4 is expanded by the expander 16, its size is naturally larger than that of the wafer 1. For example, if the diameter of the wafer 1 is 8 inches, the diameter of the dicing tape 4 is preferably about 300 mm. The wafer 1 is attached to the substantially central portion of the dicing tape 4 via the film-like adhesive 3, and the length between the outer peripheral portion 1A of the wafer 1 and the inner peripheral portion 5A of the frame 5 at that time is about 50 mm.

[0046] The diameter of the film-like adhesive 3 is slightly larger than the diameter of the wafer 1. That is, the film-like adhesive 3 is, for example, about 1 cm larger in diameter than the wafer 1 in consideration of the deviation amount when the wafer 1 is attached to the film-like adhesive 3. The region between the outer peripheral portion 3A of the film-like adhesive 3 and the inner peripheral portion 5A of the frame 5 corresponds to the non-divided region 4B, and the pushing-up region 4D and the region 4E are included in this non-divided region 4B. In FIG. 1, the difference in diameter between the wafer 1 and the film-like adhesive 3 is exaggeratedly shown.

[0047] The expand ring 16 is disposed inside the low-temperature plate 14 and surrounds the low-temperature chuck table 12, and is connected to a ring lifting mechanism 18 that constitutes an expanding means and is lifted and lowered. Further, on the upper surface 16B of the expand ring 16 that pushes up the pushing-up region 4D of the dicing tape 4, rollers 20 are rotatably provided to reduce the frictional force with the pushing-up region 4D. In FIG. 1, the expand ring 16 waiting at the lowered position is illustrated. Further, the expand ring 16 is preferably made of a metal having good thermal conductivity such as aluminum.

[0048] Here, in the wafer 1 shown in FIG. 10, division planned lines are pre-processed in a grid pattern inside the wafer 1 by laser irradiation or the like. The expand ring 16 in FIG. 1 pushes up the pushing-up region 4D of the dicing tape 4 upward from below by rising, and expands the dicing tape 4 (see FIG. 4). By expanding the dicing tape 4 in this way, the wafer 1 is divided along the division planned lines, and the wafer 1 is divided into individual chips 6 together with the film-like adhesive 3.

[0049] Returning to FIG. 1, the frame 5 of the wafer unit 2 is fixed to a frame fixing mechanism 22. Further, a sub-ring 24 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the expand ring 16. The sub-ring 24 is lifted and lowered by the ring lifting mechanism 18 together with the expand ring 16. This sub-ring 24 has a function of holding the expanded state of the expanded dicing tape 4 and maintaining the intervals between the divided individual chips 6 (see FIG. 5).

[0050] Hereinafter, the operation of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A that divides the wafer 1 into individual chips 6 will be described according to the flowchart of FIG. 2 and the block diagram of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A of FIG. 3.

[0051] Note that, for the work dividing device 10A of the embodiment, it is important to create a temperature difference between the divided region 4A and the region 4E during expansion. For this reason, in the work dividing device 10A, as shown in FIG. 3, the low-temperature chuck table 12, the low-temperature plate 14, and the ring lifting mechanism 18 are controlled by the same control unit 40 under temperature control. That is, when the first temperature is applied to the divided region 4A by the low-temperature chuck table 12 and the second temperature is applied to the region 4E by the low-temperature plate 14, the control unit 40 raises the ring lifting mechanism 18 to expand the dicing tape 4.

[0052] First, in step S100 of FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 1, the frame 5 of the wafer unit 2 is fixed to the frame fixing mechanism 22. Thereby, the divided region 4A of the wafer unit 2 is placed on the upper surface 12A of the low-temperature chuck table 12, and the region 4E is placed on the upper surface 14A of the low-temperature plate 14. The control unit 40 drives the low-temperature chuck table 12 and the low-temperature plate 14 in advance, and sets the temperature of the low-temperature chuck table 12 to the first temperature and the temperature of the low-temperature plate 14 to a second temperature lower than the first temperature.

[0053] Next, in the temperature difference generation step in step S110 of FIG. 2, the divided region 4A of the wafer unit 2 is vacuum-sucked by the low-temperature chuck table 12, and the divided region 4A is surely brought into contact with the upper surface 12A of the low-temperature chuck table 12. At this time, since the low-temperature chuck table 12 is set to the first temperature, a temperature of about 5 to -5°C, which is the first temperature, is applied to the divided region 4A by this contact, and the divided region 4A is cooled to the first temperature. As a result, the film-like adhesive 3 is embrittled and easily broken by applying an expansion force.

[0054] Also, while the divided region 4A is being cooled by the low-temperature chuck table 12, since the region 4E is in contact with the low-temperature plate 14, a second temperature that is 5°C lower than that of the divided region 4A is applied to the region 4E, and the region 4E is cooled to the second temperature. As a result, the region 4E becomes relatively lower in temperature than the divided region 4A. That is, the hardness of the region 4E is brought closer to the hardness of the divided region 4A, or the hardness of the region 4E becomes harder than the hardness of the divided region 4A.

[0055] Next, during the expand process in step S120 of FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 4, the expand ring 16 is raised by the ring elevating mechanism 18 to expand the dicing tape 4 and divide the wafer 1 together with the film-like adhesive 3.

[0056] Specifically, the control unit 40 releases the vacuum adsorption of the divided region 4A by the low-temperature chuck table 12, and the control unit 40 controls the ring elevating mechanism 18 to raise the expand ring 16 and the sub-ring 24. The expand ring 16 is raised, for example, at 400 mm / sec and pushed up 15 mm. At this time, the sub-ring 24 stops at a position below the frame 5. At this time, since the hardness of the region 4E is brought closer to the hardness of the divided region 4A or the hardness of the region 4E is made harder than the hardness of the divided region 4A, the expand force transmitted from the expand ring 16 to the dicing tape 4 is surely transmitted from the region 4E through the pushing-up region 4D to the divided region 4A, and the divided region 4A expands to a desired expansion amount. As a result, the wafer 1 is divided along the division planned line and smoothly divided into individual chips 6. Also, a gap of several μm to 100 μm is formed between the divided individual chips 6, but since the film-like adhesive 3 is cooled and embrittled, the film-like adhesive 3 is also divided along the division planned line together with the wafer 1. As a result, the wafer 1 is smoothly divided into each chip 6 with the film-like adhesive 3 attached to the back surface.

[0057] When the expansion of the dicing tape 4 by the expanding ring 16 is released, the dicing tape 4 restores to its original shape due to its elasticity, and the gaps between the chips 6 disappear. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the expanded state of the dicing tape 4 at least in the regions where the chips 6 are present.

[0058] Therefore, in step S130 of FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 5, the sub-ring 24 is further raised and inserted above the frame 5, and the non-divided region 4B of the expanded dicing tape 4 is clamped between the sub-ring 24 and the frame 5. Alternatively, there is also a method of using heat to thermally contract the dicing tape 4 to maintain the expanded state.

[0059] Next, in step S140 of FIG. 2, the expanding ring 16 is lowered to release the expansion of the dicing tape 4 by the expanding ring 16. At this time, since the sub-ring 24 remains at the position shown in FIG. 5, the expanded state of the dicing tape 4 is maintained. As a result, the gaps between the chips 6 are widely maintained, so that the re-adhesion of the film-like adhesive 3 can be prevented, and the pick-up of the chips 6 from the dicing tape 4 can also be easily performed. The above is the operation of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A whose operation is controlled by the control unit 40.

[0060] According to the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A of the first embodiment configured as described above, the low-temperature chuck table 12 that applies the first temperature to the dividing region 4A and the low-temperature plate 14 that applies the second temperature lower than the first temperature to the region 4E are provided separately. Therefore, a relative temperature difference (for example, 5°C) can be provided between the dividing region 4A and the region 4E to make the hardness of the region 4E closer to the hardness of the dividing region 4A, or to make the hardness of the region 4E harder than the hardness of the dividing region 4A.

[0061] As a result, the work dividing device 10A of the first embodiment can eliminate or reduce the difference in the expansion amounts between the divided region 4A and the region 4E of the dicing tape 4 during the expand process, so that the divided region 4A can be expanded to a desired expansion amount. Therefore, the wafer 1 can be smoothly divided into individual chips 6 without being affected by the difference in the expansion amount of the dicing tape 4.

[0062] Also, the region 4E is set in the region between the outer peripheral portion 16A of the expand ring 16 and the inner peripheral portion 5A of the frame 5. That is, among the dicing tape 4, the pushing-up region 4D with which the expand ring 16 abuts is excluded from the region 4E to which the second temperature is applied. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the pushing-up region 4D from being embrittled by the influence of applying the second temperature to the pushing-up region 4D and breaking during expansion. Depending on the second temperature, the entire non-divided region 4B may be cooled to the second temperature. That is, the pushing-up region 4D may also be cooled to the second temperature.

[0063] Also, the low-temperature chuck table 12 is a member that comes into contact with the divided region 4A and applies the first temperature to the divided region 4A, and the low-temperature plate 14 is a member that comes into contact with the region 4E and locally applies the second temperature to the region 4E. Thereby, the divided region 4A can be cooled to the first temperature and the region 4E can be cooled to the second temperature, respectively, to the target temperature in a short time.

[0064] Also, as an example, since the first temperature by the low-temperature chuck table 12 is set to 5 to -5°C and the second temperature by the low-temperature plate 14 is set 5°C lower than the first temperature, the hardness of the region 4E can be made close to the hardness of the divided region 4A, or the hardness of the region 4E can be made harder than the hardness of the divided region 4A.

[0065] As another form, the low-temperature plate 14 may be brought into contact with the region 4E from above the dicing tape 4 to cool the region 4E to the second temperature. However, when attempting to bring the low-temperature plate 14 into contact with the region 4E from above the dicing tape 4, the low-temperature plate 14 may contact the film-like adhesive 3. In this case, the low-temperature plate 14 adheres to the film-like adhesive 3. Then, when the low-temperature plate 14 peels off from the film-like adhesive 3, the dicing tape 4 vibrates, and chip cracks may occur due to this vibration. In the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A of the first embodiment, since the low-temperature plate 14 is in contact with the region 4E from below the dicing tape 4, the occurrence of the above-described chip cracks can be prevented.

[0066] The gist of the present invention is to create a temperature difference such that the non-dividing region 4B becomes relatively lower in temperature than the dividing region 4A. Therefore, cooling the region 4E and heating the dividing region 4A to create a temperature difference such that the non-dividing region 4B becomes relatively lower in temperature than the dividing region 4A is also within the scope of the present invention. For example, the same effect can be obtained by locally cooling the region 4E to 0 to -10°C by a cooling method and locally heating the dividing region 4A 5°C higher than this temperature by a heating method.

[0067] Also, in another usage form, by cooling the region 4E and heating the dividing region 4A, the stress during expansion is applied more greatly to the dividing region 4A, which is advantageous when dividing the metal composite film on the planned dividing line during expansion.

[0068] Specifically, for the wafer 1 with a planned division line pre-processed inside by laser irradiation or the like, only the silicon, which is the base material of the wafer 1, is divided by the work dividing device 10A. Therefore, if there is a metal composite film on the planned division line, the metal composite film is not divided even after the processing of the planned division line, and if it is not divided during the subsequent expansion, it will cause a reduction in the production volume of the product. Thus, since the work dividing device 10A of the first embodiment can cool the region 4E and heat the dividing region 4A, the stress during expansion is applied by the dividing region 4A. As a result, a greater stress acts on the dividing region 4A, so that the metal composite film can be surely divided.

[0069] 〔Work Dividing Device 10B of the Second Embodiment〕 FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the work dividing device 10B of the second embodiment. For members that are the same as or similar to the work dividing device 10A of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the description will be omitted by assigning the same reference numerals.

[0070] In the work dividing device 10B, the difference in configuration from the work dividing device 10A is that the region 4E is locally cooled by the cooling air 28 jetted from the nozzle 26, thereby applying a second temperature to the region 4E. In this case, the temperature of the cooling air 28 is set to a second temperature lower than the first temperature by the low-temperature chuck table 12, whereby the region 4E is locally cooled to the second temperature.

[0071] Also, in the work dividing device 10B, by jetting the cooling air 28 into the region 4E from the lower side of the dicing tape 4, the wind pressure of the cooling air 28 prevents the film-like adhesive 3 from peeling off from the dicing tape 4.

[0072] Even if the first temperature is locally applied to the division region 4A by the contact-type low-temperature chuck table 12 and the second temperature is locally applied to the region 4E by further locally blowing the non-contact cooling air 28, as in the workpiece dividing apparatus 10B, the same effect as that of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A can be obtained. Also, similar to the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A, the region 4E may be cooled and the dividing region 4A may be heated.

[0073] 〔Workpiece Dividing Apparatus 10C of the Third Embodiment〕 FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10C of the third embodiment. For members that are the same as or similar to those of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the workpiece dividing apparatus 10B of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

[0074] In the workpiece dividing apparatus 10C, the difference in configuration from the workpiece dividing apparatus 10B is that the internal air of the chamber 34 is cooled by the cooling air 32 injected from the cold air injection port 30, thereby cooling the atmosphere including the dicing tape 4 and applying the first temperature to the entire dicing tape 4. In this case, the temperature of the cooling air 32 is set to the first temperature by the low-temperature chuck table 12. In the workpiece dividing apparatus 10C, the cooling air 32 corresponds to the atmosphere cooling means, and the cooling air 28 locally blown from the nozzle 26 corresponds to the local cooling means. Also, the cooling by the cooling air 32 corresponds to the atmosphere cooling step, and the cooling by the cooling air 28 corresponds to the local cooling step.

[0075] Even if the atmosphere including the dicing tape 4 is cooled by the cooling air 32 and the region 4E is locally cooled by the cooling air 28, as in the workpiece dividing apparatus 10C, the first temperature may be applied to the dividing region 4A and the second temperature may be applied to the non-dividing region 4B. Thereby, a temperature difference can be generated such that the non-dividing region 4B becomes relatively low temperature with respect to the dividing region 4A, so that the same effect as that of the workpiece dividing apparatuses 10A and 10B can be obtained. Also, similar to the workpiece dividing apparatuses 10A and 10B, the region 4E may be cooled and the dividing region 4A may be heated.

[0076] [Work Dividing Device 10D of the Fourth Embodiment] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the work dividing device 10D of the fourth embodiment. For members that are the same as or similar to those of the work dividing device 10A of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the work dividing device 10C of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

[0077] In the work dividing device 10D, the difference in configuration from the work dividing device 10C lies in that the region 4E is locally cooled by the low-temperature plate 14 to impart a second temperature to the region 4E. In the work dividing device 10D, the low-temperature plate 14 corresponds to the local cooling means, and the cooling air 32 corresponds to the atmosphere cooling means. Also, the cooling by the cooling air 32 corresponds to the atmosphere cooling step, and the cooling by the low-temperature plate 14 corresponds to the local cooling step.

[0078] As in the work dividing device 10D, while cooling the atmosphere including the dicing tape 4 by the cooling air 32, and further locally cooling the region 4E by the low-temperature plate 14, a first temperature may be imparted to the divided region 4A and a second temperature may be imparted to the region 4E. Thereby, a temperature difference can be generated such that the non-divided region 4B becomes relatively low temperature with respect to the divided region 4A, so that the same effects as those of the work dividing devices 10A, 10B, and 10C can be obtained. Also, similar to the work dividing devices 10A, 10B, and 10C, the region 4E may be cooled and the divided region 4A may be heated.

[0079] [Work Dividing Device 10E of the Fifth Embodiment] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the work dividing device 10E of the fifth embodiment. For members that are the same as or similar to those of the work dividing device 10A of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the work dividing device 10D of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

[0080] In the workpiece dividing apparatus 10E, the difference in configuration from the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A lies in that the internal air of the chamber 34 is cooled by the cooling air 36 injected from the cold air injection port 30, thereby cooling the atmosphere including the dicing tape 4 and applying a second temperature to the entire dicing tape 4. That is, the temperature of the cooling air 36 is set to the second temperature. Further, a heating means is provided on the low-temperature chuck table 12, and the dividing region 4A is locally heated by this heating means, thereby applying a first temperature higher than the second temperature. In the workpiece dividing apparatus 10E, the cooling air 36 corresponds to the atmosphere cooling means, and the low-temperature chuck table 12 corresponds to the local heating means. Also, the cooling by the cooling air 36 corresponds to the atmosphere cooling step, and the heating by the low-temperature chuck table 12 corresponds to the local heating step.

[0081] As in the workpiece dividing apparatus 10E, while cooling the atmosphere including the dicing tape 4 by the cooling air 36, the dividing region 4A may be locally heated by the low-temperature chuck table 12, thereby applying a first temperature to the dividing region 4A and a second temperature to the region 4E. Thereby, a temperature difference can be generated in which the non-dividing region 4B becomes relatively low temperature with respect to the dividing region 4A, so that the same effects as those of the workpiece dividing apparatuses 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D can be obtained.

[0082] In the embodiment, the workpiece dividing apparatuses 10A to 10E for dividing the wafer unit 2 having the film-like adhesive 3 have been described. However, even for a wafer unit 2 without the film-like adhesive 3, when a temperature difference (temperature of the dividing region 4A > temperature of the region 4E) is applied to the dividing region 4A and the region 4E by the first temperature applying means and the second temperature applying means and expanded, the present invention is effective. That is, even for a wafer unit 2 without the film-like adhesive 3, since the hardness of the dividing region 4A is governed by the hardness of the wafer 1, it is difficult to expand compared to the region 4E. By providing the temperature difference as described above, the expansion amount of the dividing region 4A becomes equal to the expansion amount of the region 4E, or the dividing region 4A becomes easier to expand than the region 4E, so that the wafer 1 can be smoothly divided.

[0083] Also, even in the wafer unit 2 without the film-like adhesive 3, in order to create a temperature difference between the division region 4A and the region 4E, the region 4E may be cooled and the division region 4A may be heated.

[0084] Note that the dicing tape 4 has differences in the way it extends in the X-Y directions depending on the tape production direction. In principle, it tends to extend easily in the direction parallel to the tape production direction and is difficult to extend in the orthogonal direction. Considering such elongation characteristics of the dicing tape 4 and the expansion direction by the expander 16, by setting the wafer unit 2 in the work dividing apparatus, the uniformity of the elongation of the dicing tape 4 during expansion can be improved.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0085] 1... wafer, 2... wafer unit, 3... film-like adhesive, 4... dicing tape, 4A... division region, 4B... non-division region, 4C... fixed region, 4D... pushing-up region, 5... frame, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E... work dividing apparatus, 12... low-temperature chuck table, 14... low-temperature plate, 16... expander, 18... ring lifting mechanism, 20... roller, 22... frame fixing mechanism, 24... sub-ring, 26... nozzle, 28... cooling air, 30... cold air injection port, 32... cooling air, 34... chamber, 36... cooling air, 40... control unit

Claims

1. A temperature applying device for reducing a difference in an expansion amount of a dicing tape that occurs when dividing a wafer into individual chips by expanding the dicing tape to which a wafer is attached using an expanding ring, comprising: a temperature applying means for locally lowering a temperature of a region of the dicing tape that is outside the expand ring to a temperature lower than a region of the dicing tape to which the wafer is attached; Temperature application device.

2. A temperature application method for reducing a difference in an expansion amount of a dicing tape that occurs when dividing a wafer into individual chips by expanding the dicing tape to which a wafer is attached using an expansion ring, comprising: A temperature application step is provided for locally lowering a temperature of a region of the dicing tape that is outside the expand ring to a temperature lower than a region to which the wafer is attached. Temperature application method.

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