To provide a protective member forming apparatus, a protective member forming method, a workpiece manufacturing method, and a chip manufacturing method.

Abstract

To appropriately set a height position for switching from a first speed to a second speed lower than the first speed even when there is variation in actual thickness of a workpiece.SOLUTION: A first movement control unit 112 configured to move the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30 at a first speed V1 so as to approach each other to a first position at which the wafer W and the sheet S are not connected by the liquid resin R; The second movement controller 113 moves the wafer holder 60 and the protective-member forming table 30 at the second speed V1, which is lower than the first speed V2, so as to bring the wafer holder 60 and the protective-member forming table 30 closer to each other from the first position to the second position, at which the liquid resins R are spread between the wafer W and the sheet S, and the first movement controller 112 sets, as the first position, a position obtained by correcting the temporary first position set in advance according to the reference thickness on the basis of the difference between the reference thickness and the actual thickness.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a protective member forming apparatus, a protective member forming method, a method for manufacturing a workpiece, and a method for manufacturing a tip. [Background technology]

[0002] As-sliced ​​wafers (hereinafter simply referred to as "wafers") cut from an ingot using a wire saw or the like can have unevenness on the top and bottom surfaces, and deforming factors such as undulations caused by these unevenness are removed to produce flat wafers. A known method for removing the deforming factors involves supplying a liquid resin to the entire surface of one side of the wafer and hardening it to form a protective member, then performing a first grinding process in which the protective member is held on a chuck table and the other side of the wafer is ground, followed by a second grinding process in which the other side is held on the chuck table and the protective member is removed before grinding the one side.

[0003] In forming the protective member, the wafer held by the holding mechanism is pressed against the liquid resin to spread the liquid resin (for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, to prevent air bubbles from forming between the wafer and the liquid resin, the wafer held by the holding mechanism is lowered at a predetermined speed to press the wafer against the liquid resin.

[0004] When lowering a wafer held by a holding mechanism, it is inefficient to lower the wafer at a constant lowering speed regardless of the distance between the wafer and the liquid resin. Therefore, the lower surface of the wafer is lowered at a first speed until a small gap is created between the lower surface of the wafer and the upper surface of the liquid resin, and after the small gap is created, the lower surface of the wafer is pressed down onto the upper surface of the liquid resin at a second speed slower than the first speed (for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-143723 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-188058 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The switching position between the first speed and the second speed, i.e., the height position where there is a small gap between the bottom surface of the wafer and the top surface of the liquid resin, can vary depending on the actual thickness of the wafers sliced ​​from the ingot. For example, if the actual thickness of the wafer is thicker than the predetermined value, there is a problem that the small gap does not form and the wafer comes into contact. Conversely, if the actual thickness of the wafer is thinner than the predetermined value, there is a problem that the time required to move at the second speed, which is slower than the first speed, becomes longer.

[0007] The present invention provides a protective member forming device, a protective member forming method, a workpiece manufacturing method, and a chip manufacturing method that can appropriately set the height position at which to switch from a first speed to a second speed that is slower than the first speed, even if there is variation in the actual thickness of the workpiece. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is A protective member forming device that supplies a liquid resin between a first surface of a workpiece and a first surface of a sheet to form a protective member on the first surface of the workpiece, a first holding unit that holds a second surface of the workpiece that faces the first surface; a second holding unit provided opposite the first holding unit and configured to hold a second surface of the sheet opposite the first surface; a resin supply unit that supplies the liquid resin to at least one of the first surface of the workpiece held by the first holding unit and the first surface of the sheet held by the second holding unit; a moving unit that moves the first holding unit and the second holding unit relatively in a direction in which they approach each other; a control unit that controls the protective member forming device, The control unit an acquisition unit that acquires an estimated thickness that is an estimated thickness of the workpiece and an actual thickness that is an actual thickness of the workpiece; a first movement control unit that controls the movement unit to move the first holding unit and the second holding unit at a first speed so as to approach each other to a first position where the workpiece and the sheet are not connected by the liquid resin; a second movement control unit that controls the movement unit to move the first holding unit and the second holding unit from the first position to a second position where the liquid resin is spread between the workpiece and the sheet at a second speed that is slower than the first speed so as to bring the first holding unit and the second holding unit closer to each other; The first movement control unit is A temporary first position that is set in advance based on the target thickness is corrected based on the difference between the target thickness and the actual thickness, and the corrected position is set as the first position.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is A method for forming a protective member, comprising: supplying a liquid resin between a first surface of a workpiece and a first surface of a sheet to form a protective member on the first surface of the workpiece, a measuring step of measuring an actual thickness of the workpiece; a first holding step of holding a second surface of the workpiece opposite to the first surface; a second holding step of holding a second surface of the sheet opposite to the first surface; a resin supplying step of supplying a liquid resin to at least one of the first surface of the workpiece and the first surface of the sheet; a first moving step of relatively moving the workpiece and the sheet at a first speed in a direction in which they approach each other to a first position where the workpiece and the sheet are not connected by the liquid resin after the resin supplying step; a second moving step of moving the workpiece and the sheet from the first position to a second position where the liquid resin is spread between the workpiece and the sheet at a second speed slower than the first speed after the first moving step, so as to bring the workpiece and the sheet closer to each other; The first position is set to a position corrected based on the difference between a tentative first position, which is preset based on a target thickness that is an indication of the thickness of the workpiece, and the actual thickness, based on the difference between the target thickness and the actual thickness.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention is A method for manufacturing a workpiece, comprising: supplying a liquid resin between a first surface of the workpiece and a first surface of a sheet to form a protective member on the first surface of the workpiece; and thinning a second surface of the workpiece opposite the first surface, the method comprising: a measuring step of measuring an actual thickness of the workpiece; a first holding step of holding the second surface of the workpiece; a second holding step of holding a second surface of the sheet opposite to the first surface; a resin supplying step of supplying a liquid resin to at least one of the first surface of the workpiece and the first surface of the sheet; a first moving step of relatively moving the workpiece and the sheet at a first speed in a direction in which they approach each other to a first position where the workpiece and the sheet are not connected by the liquid resin after the resin supplying step; a second moving step of moving the workpiece and the sheet from the first position to a second position where the liquid resin is spread between the workpiece and the sheet at a second speed slower than the first speed so as to bring the workpiece and the sheet closer to each other after the first moving step; a thinning step of thinning the second surface of the workpiece after the second moving step, The first position is set to a position corrected based on the difference between a tentative first position, which is preset based on a target thickness that is an indication of the thickness of the workpiece, and the actual thickness, based on the difference between the target thickness and the actual thickness.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention is A method for manufacturing chips, comprising: supplying a liquid resin between a first surface of a workpiece and a first surface of a sheet to form a protective member on the first surface of the workpiece; and dividing the workpiece into chips, a measuring step of measuring an actual thickness of the workpiece; a first holding step of holding a second surface of the workpiece opposite to the first surface; a second holding step of holding a second surface of the sheet opposite to the first surface; a resin supplying step of supplying a liquid resin to at least one of the first surface of the workpiece and the first surface of the sheet; a first moving step of relatively moving the workpiece and the sheet at a first speed in a direction in which they approach each other to a first position where the workpiece and the sheet are not connected by the liquid resin after the resin supplying step; a second moving step of moving the workpiece and the sheet from the first position to a second position where the liquid resin is spread between the workpiece and the sheet at a second speed slower than the first speed so as to bring the workpiece and the sheet closer to each other after the first moving step; a dividing step of dividing the workpiece into chips along a planned dividing line after the second moving step, The first position is set to a position corrected based on the difference between a tentative first position, which is preset based on a target thickness that is an indication of the thickness of the workpiece, and the actual thickness, based on the difference between the target thickness and the actual thickness. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, even if there is variation in the actual thickness of the workpiece, the height position at which the speed is switched from the first speed to the second speed, which is slower than the first speed, can be appropriately set. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a protective member forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the control unit 100. As shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the protection member formation information 120a. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of a protective member forming method. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the temporary placement table 12 and its surroundings for explaining the measurement step S10. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the wafer holding table 62 and the protective member forming table 30 and its surroundings for explaining the first holding step S11. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the wafer holding table 62 and the protective member forming table 30 and its surroundings for explaining the second holding step S12. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the wafer holding table 62 and the protective member forming table 30 and its surroundings for explaining the resin supplying step S13. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the wafer holding table 62 and the protective member forming table 30 and their surroundings for explaining the first moving step S14. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the wafer holding table 62 and the protective member forming table 30 and its surroundings for explaining the second moving step S15. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the wafer holding table 62 and the protective member forming table 30 and their surroundings for explaining the third movement step S16. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for manufacturing a workpiece and a method for manufacturing a chip. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the wafer holding table 62 and the protective member forming table 30 and their surroundings for explaining a modification of the resin supplying step S13. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A protective member forming apparatus and a protective member forming method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0015] First, we will explain the configuration of the protective member forming apparatus 1. In the following explanation, the X-axis direction is one direction in a horizontal plane, the Y-axis direction is a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction in a horizontal plane, and the Z-axis direction is a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a protective member forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. The protective member forming apparatus 1 is an apparatus that forms a protective member for protecting a wafer W by hardening a liquid resin that has been spread over the entire surface of one side of the wafer W. The wafer W is an example of a workpiece, and is, for example, a disk-shaped as-sliced ​​wafer cut from a cylindrical silicon ingot. Note that the wafer W may be made of, in addition to silicon, for example, gallium arsenide, sapphire, gallium nitride, resin, ceramics, silicon carbide, or the like. Furthermore, the wafer W is not limited to an as-sliced ​​wafer before devices are formed thereon, but may also be a device wafer after devices are formed thereon, or the like.

[0017] The surface on which the protective member is formed may be either the top or bottom surface of the wafer W, but in the embodiment described below, an example in which the protective member is formed on the bottom surface of the wafer W will be described. In the following description, the top surface of the wafer W will be denoted by the symbol "Wa," and the bottom surface of the wafer W will be denoted by the symbol "Wb."

[0018] The protective member forming apparatus 1 has a housing 10 that forms a processing chamber, and each component that makes up the protective member forming apparatus 1 is provided inside the housing 10. In Fig. 1, the housing 10 is shown by a dashed line, and each component provided inside the housing 10 is shown in a see-through state. Each component will be described in order below.

[0019] The protective member forming apparatus 1 is provided with a cassette storage section 11 at one end side in the X-axis direction (-X-axis direction) of the housing 10. The cassette storage section 11 includes an upper storage space 11a and a lower storage space 11b arranged in two levels, one above the other. A cassette C1 that stores, for example, wafers W before a protective member is formed thereon is placed in the upper storage space 11a. A cassette C2 that stores, for example, wafers W after a protective member has been formed thereon is placed in the lower storage space 11b. The cassette C1 and the cassette C2 can each store a plurality of wafers W.

[0020] A temporary placement table 12 and a sheet cutting table 13 are provided in the +X-axis direction of the cassette storage unit 11. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the temporary placement table 12 is located on the upper side, and the sheet cutting table 13 is located on the lower side.

[0021] The temporary placement table 12 is formed with a plurality of suction holes 12a connected to a suction source (not shown), and the wafer W is held by suction on the temporary placement table 12 by operating the suction source to apply a suction force to the suction holes 12a (see FIG. 5). The temporary placement table 12 is also provided with a detection unit 14 for detecting the center position of the wafer W, and a measurement unit 15 for measuring the thickness of the wafer W.

[0022] The detection unit 14 includes an imaging unit 14a that detects the center position, orientation, size, etc. of the wafer W before the protective member is formed using a captured image. The imaging unit 14a includes an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) imaging element or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imaging element.

[0023] The measuring unit 15 is a device for measuring the thickness of the wafer W, and in this embodiment, particularly measures the thickness of the central region of the wafer W. Specifically, the thickness of the central region of the wafer W is measured based on the central position of the wafer W detected by the above-mentioned detection unit 14. The measuring unit 15 may have various configurations, but for example, a non-contact measuring device is used that irradiates the wafer W with infrared light that penetrates the wafer W and measures the thickness of the wafer W based on the light reflected from the upper surface Wa and lower surface Wb of the wafer W. Alternatively, a probe contact measuring device that measures the thickness of the wafer W by contacting a probe with the wafer W may be used. Measurement data measured by the measuring unit 15 is output to the control unit 100.

[0024] The sheet cutting table 13 is a table on which the wafer W on which the protective member is formed is placed, and the sheet cutting table 13 is provided with a sheet cutter 16 that cuts the sheet S attached to the wafer W. The sheet cutter 16 cuts off excess sheet S along the outline of the wafer W (the wafer W on which the protective member is formed).

[0025] A first transport mechanism 17 is provided in the -Y-axis direction of the temporary placement table 12 and the sheet cutting table 13 to load and unload wafers W into and from each of the cassettes C1 and C2. The first transport mechanism 17 includes an arm 19 supported on a pedestal 18, and the pedestal 18 is supported so as to be movable along a pair of guide rails 20 extending in the Y-axis direction. The pedestal 18 is connected to a ball screw 21 extending in the Y-axis direction. When the ball screw 21 is rotated by the driving force of a motor 22 controlled by a control unit 100, the pedestal 18 moves in the Y-axis direction.

[0026] The first transport mechanism 17 transports the wafers W between the cassette storage unit 11 and the temporary storage table 12 and the sheet cutting table 13 by moving the base 18 in the Y-axis direction and operating the arm 19. Specifically, the first transport mechanism 17 transports the wafers W, on which the protective member has not yet been formed, from the cassette C1 in the storage space 11a and loads them onto the temporary storage table 12. The first transport mechanism 17 also transports the wafers W, on which the protective member has been formed, from the sheet cutting table 13 and loads them into the cassette C2 in the storage space 11b.

[0027] A base 2 is provided in the +X-axis direction of the temporary placement table 12 and the sheet cutting table 13, and a protective member forming table 30, which is a table for forming a protective member, is arranged on the base 2. The protective member forming table 30 is provided opposite a wafer holding unit 60, which will be described later, and holds the lower surface Sb of the sheet S (see, for example, FIG. 7). The protective member forming table 30 is made of a light-transmitting material such as quartz glass and is formed, for example, in a circular plate shape. The upper surface of the protective member forming table 30 is a flat sheet holding surface 31 on which the sheet S is placed. The protective member forming table 30 is an example of a "second holding unit."

[0028] A plurality of suction holes (not shown) are formed in the sheet holding surface 31. The suction holes are connected to a suction source (not shown), and by operating the suction source to apply suction force to the suction holes, the sheet S placed on the sheet holding surface 31 is sucked and held. An annular protrusion 32 is formed on the outer periphery of the protection member forming table 30, and the protrusion 32 functions as a wall that prevents the liquid resin R supplied by a resin supply unit 50 (described later) from spilling out of the sheet S (see, for example, FIG. 8).

[0029] A sheet conveying mechanism 40 is provided in the +X-axis direction of the protection member forming table 30 to convey and place the sheet S on the sheet holding surface 31. The sheet conveying mechanism 40 includes a sheet supply unit 41 that supports the rolled sheet S, an arm 42 that is movable in the X-axis direction, and a clamp unit 43 attached to the side of the arm 42. The sheet conveying mechanism 40 holds the rolled sheet S supported by the sheet supply unit 41 with the clamp unit 43, and moves the arm 42 in the X-axis direction to pull the sheet S, thereby placing the sheet S on the sheet holding surface 31 of the protection member forming table 30. Although not shown, the sheet conveying mechanism 40 is provided with a cutter along the Y-axis direction to separate the sheet S.

[0030] The sheet S is made of a light-transmitting material, and for example, a film made of polyethylene terephthalate, etc. However, the sheet S may be made of other materials.

[0031] Further, near the protective member forming table 30, for example, a resin supply unit 50 is provided that supplies a predetermined amount of liquid resin R to the upper surface Sa of the sheet S placed on the sheet holding surface 31 (see, for example, FIGS. 1 and 8). The resin supply unit 50 includes a dispenser 51 connected to a tank (not shown) provided in the base 2, and a resin supply nozzle 53 connected to a connection pipe 52 extending from the dispenser 51. The resin supply nozzle 53 is rotatable about an axis facing the Z-axis direction, and this rotation enables the resin supply nozzle 53 to be positioned above the protective member forming table 30 and to be retracted from above the protective member forming table 30.

[0032] Liquid resin R stored in a tank is sent by a dispenser 51 via a connecting pipe 52, and the liquid resin R is dripped downward from a resin supply nozzle 53. The amount of liquid resin R supplied from the resin supply nozzle 53 can be adjusted by the dispenser 51.

[0033] The liquid resin R has the property of being hardened by an external stimulus. In this embodiment, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin that is hardened by irradiation with ultraviolet rays is used.

[0034] A column 3 protruding upward from the base 2 is provided at a position in the -X-axis direction of the protective member forming table 30. The column 3 is provided with an elevating unit 70 that moves the wafer holding part 60 in the Z-axis direction, thereby moving the wafer holding part 60 and the protective member forming table 30 relatively in directions in which they approach each other.

[0035] The lifting unit 70 includes a pair of guide rails 71 extending in the Z-axis direction, a lifting plate 72 supported on the pair of guide rails 71 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction, a ball screw 73 extending in the Z-axis direction and connected to the lifting plate 72, and a motor 74 that drives the ball screw 73. When the motor 74 is driven by the control unit 100, the ball screw 73 rotates, and the lifting plate 72 moves in the Z-axis direction along the pair of guide rails 71. This movement enables the lifting unit 70 to move the wafer holder 60 toward or away from the protective member forming table 30.

[0036] The movement speed of the lifting unit 70 can be controlled in stages by the control unit 100 (more specifically, the control unit 110). For example, when controlling the movement of the lifting unit 70 in a direction that brings the wafer holder 60 and the protective member forming table 30 closer to each other, the movement speed is controlled to be slowed in stages. The detailed control content will be described later. The lifting unit 70 is an example of a "moving unit."

[0037] The wafer holding unit 60 is disposed opposite the protective member forming table 30 and holds the upper surface Wa of the wafer W. Specifically, the wafer holding unit 60 has a holder 61 attached to a lift plate 72 and a disk-shaped wafer holding table 62 attached to the holder 61, and moves in the Z-axis direction as the lift plate 72 moves. The lower surface of the wafer holding table 62 is a wafer holding surface 63 made of porous ceramic or the like (see, for example, FIG. 6 ). The wafer holding surface 63 is connected to a suction source (not shown), and by operating the suction source, the upper surface Wa of the wafer W can be suction-held on the wafer holding surface 63. The wafer holding surface 63 is parallel to the sheet holding surface 31 of the protective member forming table 30. The wafer holding unit 60 is an example of a “first holding unit.”

[0038] A curing unit 80 is provided below the protective member forming table 30, which applies an external stimulus to the liquid resin R dropped onto the sheet S on the sheet holding surface 31 to cure it. The curing unit 80 includes a plurality of ultraviolet irradiators (not shown) capable of emitting ultraviolet light, and cures the liquid resin R by irradiating the liquid resin R with ultraviolet light through the protective member forming table 30 and the sheet S, which are light-transmitting. The curing unit 80 cures the liquid resin R that has been spread onto the lower surface Wb of the wafer W by the lifting unit 70, thereby forming a protective member on the lower surface Wb of the wafer W. The light source used for the ultraviolet irradiators may be an LED (Light Emitting Diode).

[0039] A second transport mechanism 90 is provided in the -Y-axis direction of the base 2. The second transport mechanism 90 includes an arm 92 supported on a pedestal 91, and the pedestal 91 is supported so that it can move along a pair of guide rails 93 extending in the X-axis direction. The pedestal 91 is connected to a ball screw 94 that extends in the X-axis direction. When the ball screw 94 is rotated by the driving force of a motor (not shown), the pedestal 91 moves in the X-axis direction.

[0040] The second transport mechanism 90 transports the wafer W between the temporary placement table 12, the sheet cutting table 13, and the wafer holding unit 60 by moving the base 91 in the X-axis direction and operating the arm 92. Specifically, the second transport mechanism 90 can receive the wafer W before the protective member is formed from the temporary placement table 12, transport it, and hand it over to the wafer holding table 62 of the wafer holding unit 60. The second transport mechanism 90 can also retrieve the wafer W after the protective member has been formed from the wafer holding table 62 of the wafer holding unit 60 and transport it to the sheet cutting table 13.

[0041] The protective member forming apparatus 1 configured as described above is controlled by a control unit 100. The control unit 100 causes the protective member forming apparatus 1 to perform various processes on the wafer W. FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the control unit 100. The control unit 100 is a computer including a control unit 110 that performs various calculations, a memory unit 120 having a storage medium, and an input / output interface (not shown) that controls input and output of data to and from the control unit 100. The control unit 110 includes a microprocessor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory unit 120 has memories such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit 110 performs various calculations based on predetermined programs stored in the memory unit 120. The control unit 110 outputs various control signals to the above-mentioned components via the input / output interface according to the calculation results, thereby controlling the protective member forming apparatus 1.

[0042] The storage unit 120 stores, for example, protective member formation information 120a, which is information for forming a protective member. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the protective member formation information 120a, which includes information on the target thickness of the wafer W, the actual thickness of the wafer W, the resin application height, the sheet thickness, the margin, the target resin thickness, and information on the provisional position, corrected position, and movement speed of the wafer W when moving the lifting unit 70. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the values ​​of each piece of information are represented by "a" to "f," "α," "β," "γ," or "V1," "V2," and "V3."

[0043] The target thickness of the wafer W is a target thickness of the wafer W (as-sliced ​​wafer) cut from an ingot, or in other words, the reference thickness of the wafer W. This target thickness may be determined in advance by, for example, an operator.

[0044] The actual thickness of the wafer W is the actual thickness of the wafer W cut from the ingot, and the thickness of the wafer W measured by the above-mentioned measuring unit 15 is stored, for example. That is, the measurement data of the wafer W measured by the measuring unit 15 is output to the control unit 100 and stored as part of the protective member formation information 120a. Note that, as described above, the actual thickness here means the thickness of the central region of the wafer W. This is because it is expected that the liquid resin R will be applied to the central region of the wafer W in order to evenly spread the liquid resin R over the wafer W and prevent the formation of bubbles.

[0045] The resin application height is the height of the liquid resin R dropped onto the sheet S from the resin supply unit 50, and a height based on a predetermined supply amount is stored.

[0046] The sheet thickness is the thickness of the sheet S supplied from the sheet supply unit 41, and a predetermined thickness of the sheet S is stored.

[0047] The margin is a buffer provided at a position where the moving speed of the lifting unit 70 is switched from a high speed (for example, a first speed V1 described later) to a low speed (for example, a second speed V2 described later), that is, a gap for preventing the lower surface Wb of the wafer W from contacting the upper surface of the liquid resin R at high speed. This margin is expected to be, for example, 50 μm.

[0048] The target resin thickness is the target thickness of the liquid resin when the lower surface Wb of the wafer W is brought into contact with the upper surface of the liquid resin R, the liquid resin R is spread over the entire lower surface Wb of the wafer W, and the liquid resin R is finally hardened.

[0049] The temporary position of the wafer W when the lifting unit 70 is moved is the position of the underside Wb of the wafer W, which is predetermined based on the target thickness of the wafer W, the sheet thickness, the margin, and the target resin thickness. Other factors, such as the viscosity of the liquid resin R, may also be taken into consideration. For example, this temporary position defines the height from the sheet holding surface 31, with the height of the sheet holding surface 31 set as the reference (i.e., "0"). There may be multiple temporary positions corresponding to gradually decreasing moving speeds, and the temporary positions are, in descending order of height, a temporary first position, a temporary second position (<temporary first position), and a temporary third position (<temporary second position).

[0050] The tentative first position is the height from the sheet holding surface 31 when the lifting unit 70 is lowered and the wafer holding part 60 and the protective member forming table 30 are brought close to each other by the above-mentioned margin so that the lower surface Wb of the wafer W does not come into contact with the upper surface of the liquid resin R. In the protective member formation information 120a in FIG. 3, the height of the tentative first position is denoted as "α".

[0051] The temporary second position is a position lower than the temporary first position obtained by further lowering the lifting unit 70 from the temporary first position, and is a position defined by the height from the sheet holding surface 31 at which the lower surface Wb of the wafer W and the upper surface Sa of the sheet S are brought into contact with each other and the liquid resin R is spread between the wafer W and the sheet S. In the protective member formation information 120a in FIG. 3, the height of the temporary second position is indicated as "β".

[0052] The provisional third position is a position lower than the provisional second position obtained by further lowering the lifting unit from the provisional second position, and is a position defined by the height from the sheet holding surface 31 at which the thickness of the resin spread between the wafer W and the sheet S becomes the target resin thickness. In the protective member formation information 120a in FIG. 3, the height of the provisional third position is indicated as "γ."

[0053] The corrected position is the position of the underside Wb of the wafer W corrected according to the actual thickness of the wafer W. For example, a position corrected for the difference between the target thickness of the wafer W and the actual thickness of the wafer W relative to the tentative first position is stored as the first position in the protective member formation information 120a. That is, the height from the sheet holding surface 31 taking this difference into consideration is stored as the first position. In the protective member formation information 120a in FIG. 3, the height of the first position is denoted as "α1."

[0054] As explained above in connection with the tentative first position, the first position is a position where a slight gap is created by the margin amount so that the lower surface Wb of the wafer W does not come into contact with the upper surface of the liquid resin R. In other words, when the wafer holding part 60 and the protective member forming table 30 are brought close to each other, the first position is a position where the wafer W and the sheet S are not connected by the liquid resin R, and in this respect it differs from the second and third positions where the wafer W and the sheet S are connected by the liquid resin R.

[0055] Similar corrections are made to the tentative second position and the tentative third position, so that the height of the second position is stored as "β1" and the height of the third position is stored as "γ1" in the protection member formation information 120a.

[0056] The definitions of the first position, second position, and third position are the same as the above-mentioned provisional first position, provisional second position, and provisional third position, except that the target thickness of the wafer W is replaced with the actual thickness, so detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0057] The movement speed is the speed at which the lifting unit 70 is moved, and movement speeds from the initial position to the first position, from the first position to the second position, and from the second position to the third position are stored in advance. The first speed V1 is the movement speed from the initial position to the first position. The second speed V2 is the movement speed from the first position to the second position and is slower than the first speed V1. The third speed V3 is the movement speed from the second position to the third position and is slower than the second speed V2. The second speed V2 and the third speed V3 are the speeds at which the lower surface Wb of the wafer W and the upper surface of the liquid resin R begin to contact each other and the liquid resin R is further spread between the wafer W and the sheet S, and are movement speeds at which air bubbles do not form between the wafer W and the liquid resin R. These movement speeds may be determined in advance, for example, through experiments or the like.

[0058] The control unit 110 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 120. As described above, when removing deformation factors such as undulations formed on a wafer W cut from an ingot, the liquid resin R supplied to the entire one surface of the wafer W cut by the protective member forming apparatus 1 is hardened to form a protective member, and then a grinding process is performed to remove the deformation factors. In forming the protective member, the wafer holder 60 is lowered at a first speed V1 until a small gap is formed between the lower surface Wb of the wafer W and the upper surface of the liquid resin R. After the small gap is formed between the lower surface Wb of the wafer W and the upper surface of the liquid resin R, the lower surface Wb of the wafer W is pressed down toward the upper surface of the liquid resin R at a second speed V2 slower than the first speed V1.

[0059] On the other hand, the height from the sheet holding surface 31 at which the speed at which the wafer W is lowered is changed can vary depending on the actual thickness of the wafer W. As described above, this position is set so that there is a slight gap between the lower surface Wb of the wafer W and the upper surface of the liquid resin R. However, if the actual thickness of the wafer W is thicker than a preset value, for example, there is a possibility that the slight gap will not be created and the wafer W will come into contact with the liquid resin R. In such a case, air bubbles may form between the wafer W and the liquid resin R. If the liquid resin R is cured while air bubbles are present, air bubbles will also form in the formed protective member. If a wafer cut out in this state is ground, the thickness of the wafer W may differ between the bubbled and non-bubble portions of the protective member, which may make it impossible to produce a wafer W with a uniform thickness.

[0060] Conversely, if the actual thickness of the wafer W is thinner than the predetermined value, the time required to move at the second speed V2, which is slower than the first speed V1, may become longer. Therefore, in the embodiment, a program is executed to enable the appropriate setting of the height position at which the speed is switched from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2, which is slower than the first speed V1, even when the actual thickness of the wafer W varies.

[0061] The control unit 110 includes, as functional units realized by executing the program, an acquisition unit 111, a first movement control unit 112, a second movement control unit 113, and a third movement control unit 114. Note that, hereinafter, the processes described as being performed by the acquisition unit 111, the first movement control unit 112, the second movement control unit 113, and the third movement control unit 114 are processes realized by the control unit 110.

[0062] The acquiring unit 111 acquires the target thickness and the actual thickness of the wafer W. That is, the acquiring unit 111 refers to the protective member formation information 120a in the storage unit 120 to acquire the target thickness and the actual thickness of the wafer W. The actual thickness is, for example, the thickness of the wafer W measured by the measuring unit 15.

[0063] The first movement control unit 112 controls the lifting unit 70 to move the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30 at a first speed V1 so as to approach each other to the first position where the wafer W and the sheet S are not connected by the liquid resin R. The specific processing contents will be described later in the description of the protective member forming method.

[0064] The second movement control unit 113 controls the lifting unit 70 to move the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30 from a first position where the wafer W and the sheet S are not connected by the liquid resin R to a second position where the liquid resin R is spread between the wafer W and the sheet S at a second speed V2 slower than the first speed V1 so as to bring the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30 closer to each other. The specific processing content will be described later in the protective member forming method.

[0065] The third movement control unit 114 moves the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30 to a second position where the liquid resin R is spread between the wafer W and the sheet S, and then controls the lifting unit 70 to move the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30 at a third speed V3 slower than the second speed V2 so as to bring them closer together to a third position where the target resin thickness is achieved when the liquid resin R is spread. Specific processing details will be described later in the protective member forming method.

[0066] In the embodiment, the lower surface Wb of the above-mentioned wafer W is an example of a "first surface of the workpiece", the upper surface Wa of the wafer W is an example of a "second surface opposite the first surface of the workpiece", the upper surface Sa of the sheet S is an example of a "first surface of the sheet", and the lower surface Sb of the sheet S is an example of a "second surface opposite the first surface of the sheet".

[0067] (Protective member forming method) Next, a protective member forming method according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the protective member forming method. The forming method includes a measuring step S10, a first holding step S11, a second holding step S12, a resin supplying step S13, a first moving step S14, a second moving step S15, a third moving step S16, and a separating step S17. The processing of each of these steps is executed by the control unit 110.

[0068] In the protective member forming method of the embodiment, before performing the measurement step S10, the control unit 110 causes the first transport mechanism 17 to transport the wafer W before the protective member is formed from the cassette C1 in the storage space 11a to the temporary placement table 12.

[0069] In the measurement step S10, the control unit 110 causes the measurement unit 15 to measure the actual thickness of the wafer W. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the measurement step S10, in which the wafer W is held on the temporary placement table 12. In addition, the measurement unit 15 and the detection unit 14 are positioned above the temporary placement table 12.

[0070] In this state, the control unit 110 first detects the center position of the wafer W and the orientation of the wafer W using the detection unit 14. Then, based on the detected center position of the wafer W, the control unit 110 measures the thickness of the center region of the wafer W by irradiating light onto the center region of the wafer W from, for example, the measurement unit 15, and the interference of the light.

[0071] The actual thickness of the wafer W measured by the measuring unit 15 is output to the control unit 100 and stored in the storage unit 120 as part of the protective member formation information 120a.

[0072] In the first holding step S11, the control unit 110 causes the wafer holding unit 60 to hold the wafer W transferred from the temporary placement table 12. Specifically, the control unit 110 causes the second transport mechanism 90 to transport the wafer W, on which the protective member has not yet been formed, from the temporary placement table 12 to the wafer holding table 62 in the wafer holding unit 60. Then, the control unit 110 causes the wafer holding unit 60 to hold the transferred wafer W.

[0073] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the first holding step S11, in which the upper surface Wa of the wafer W is held by a wafer holding surface 63 formed on a wafer holding table 62. Specifically, a suction source (not shown) connected to the wafer holding surface 63 is operated to apply a suction force, so that the upper surface Wa of the wafer W is suction-held by the wafer holding surface 63.

[0074] In the second holding step S12, the control unit 110 causes the protection member forming table 30 to hold the sheet S conveyed from the sheet conveying mechanism 40. Specifically, the control unit 110 causes the sheet conveying mechanism 40 to move the arm 42 of the sheet conveying mechanism 40 in the −X-axis direction to pull the sheet S, thereby placing and holding the sheet S on the sheet holding surface 31 of the protection member forming table 30.

[0075] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the second holding step S12, in which the lower surface Sb of the sheet S is held by the sheet holding surface 31 of the protection member forming table 30. Specifically, a plurality of suction holes are formed in the sheet holding surface 31 of the protection member forming table 30, and by operating suction sources (none of which are shown) connected to the suction holes to apply suction force to the suction holes, the sheet S placed on the sheet holding surface 31 (i.e., the lower surface Sb of the sheet S) is sucked and held by the sheet holding surface 31.

[0076] The order of the second holding step S12 and the first holding step S11 may be reversed, or the processes may be executed in parallel.

[0077] In the resin supply step S13, the control unit 110 controls the resin supply unit 50 to drip the liquid resin R onto the upper surface Sa of the sheet S. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 8 , the control unit 110 rotates the resin supply nozzle 53 of the resin supply unit 50 to position the resin supply nozzle 53 above the central region of the sheet S. The control unit 110 then drips a predetermined amount of liquid resin R from the resin supply nozzle 53 onto the central region of the sheet S. The reason for dripping the liquid resin R onto the central region of the sheet S is to spread the liquid resin R evenly over the lower surface Wb of the wafer W by bringing the lower surface Wb and the upper surface of the liquid resin R into contact with each other. After dripping the liquid resin R onto the upper surface Sa of the sheet S, the control unit 110 retracts the resin supply nozzle 53 from above the sheet S.

[0078] In the first movement step S14, the control unit 110 controls the lifting unit 70 to move the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30 at a first speed V1 so as to approach each other to the first position described above where the wafer W and the sheet S are not connected by the liquid resin R. Specifically, the control unit 110 lowers the lifting plate 72 from the initial position at the first speed V1, and lowers the wafer holding unit 60 relative to the protective member forming table 30 until the position of the underside Wb of the wafer W shown in FIG.

[0079] The initial position is a position where the wafer holding part 60 has not yet moved in the direction approaching the protective member forming table 30. For example, the state in Figure 8 where the liquid resin R has been supplied is an example where the wafer holding part 60 and the underside of the wafer W are in the initial position.

[0080] As described above, the first position is a position obtained by correcting the difference between the target thickness of the wafer W and the actual thickness of the wafer W relative to the tentative first position. Specifically, the control unit 110, using the function of the acquisition unit 111, acquires the target thickness of the wafer W and the actual thickness of the wafer W by referring to the protective member formation information 120a, calculates the difference between the target thickness and the actual thickness, and sets the tentative first position as a position corrected based on the difference. In other words, if the difference is positive with respect to the target thickness, the first position is higher in height from the sheet holding surface 31 than the tentative first position. If the difference is negative with respect to the target thickness, the first position is lower in height from the sheet holding surface 31 than the tentative first position. Then, using the function of the first movement control unit 112, the control unit 110 moves the lift plate 72 at a first speed V1 to the set first position so as to bring the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30 closer to each other.

[0081] In the second movement step S15, the control unit 110 controls the lifting unit 70 to move the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30 from the first position to a second position where the liquid resin R is spread between the wafer W and the sheet S at a second speed V2 slower than the first speed V1 so as to bring the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30 closer to each other. Specifically, the control unit 110 controls the function of the second movement control unit 113 to lower the lifting plate 72 at the second speed V2, thereby lowering the wafer holding unit 60 relative to the protective member forming table 30 until the position of the underside Wb of the wafer W shown in FIG. 10 reaches the second position. Here, the second position is a position obtained by correcting the difference between the target thickness of the wafer W and the actual thickness of the wafer W with respect to the tentative second position.

[0082] In this way, when the wafer holding part 60 is lowered while the upper surface Wa of the wafer W is held by suction on the wafer holding surface 63, the lower surface Wb of the wafer W reaches the second position, and the lower surface Wb of the wafer W comes into contact with the liquid resin R supplied onto the sheet S, and the liquid resin R is spread out by the force of lowering the wafer W.

[0083] In the third movement step S16, the control unit 110 controls the lifting unit 70 to move the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30 from the second position to a third position at which the liquid resin R reaches the target resin thickness when spread, at a third speed V3 slower than the second speed V2 so as to bring the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30 closer to each other. Specifically, the control unit 110 controls the function of the third movement control unit 114 to lower the lifting plate 72 at the third speed V3, thereby lowering the wafer holding unit 60 relative to the protective member forming table 30 until the position of the underside Wb of the wafer W shown in FIG. 11 reaches the third position. Here, the third position is a position obtained by correcting the difference between the target thickness of the wafer W and the actual thickness of the wafer W with respect to the tentative third position.

[0084] In this way, when the wafer holding part 60 is further lowered while the upper surface Wa of the wafer W is held by suction on the wafer holding surface 63, the lower surface Wb of the wafer W reaches the third position, and the force of lowering the wafer W spreads the liquid resin R evenly over the wafer W.

[0085] In the separation step S17, the control unit 110 controls the lifting unit 70 to move the wafer holding part 60 from the third position to the initial position. Specifically, when the underside Wb of the wafer W in FIG. 11 is located at the third position, the control unit 110 stops the operation of the suction source (not shown) to separate the wafer W from the wafer holding surface 63. As a result, the wafer W is held on the protective member forming table 30 and is ready to be cured by the curing unit 80. After separating the wafer W from the wafer holding surface 63, the control unit 110 raises the lifting plate 72 to separate the wafer holding part 60 from the protective member forming table 30. Note that the movement speed at this time may be approximately equal to the first speed V1, for example. Alternatively, the control unit 110 may stop the operation of the suction source and then control the lifting unit 70 to slowly raise the wafer holding part 60 at approximately the second speed V2. This is to slowly release the stress that the wafer W had when it was cut out with the wire saw, and to allow it to deform to its original shape on the liquid resin R. Then, after the wafer holding part 60 is raised at about the second speed V2, the wafer holding part 60 is raised at about the first speed V1, and the wafer holding part 60 and the protective member forming table 30 are separated from each other.

[0086] After separating the wafer holding part 60 and the protective member forming table 30 in this manner, the control part 110 uses the curing unit 80 to cure the liquid resin R that has been spread on the wafer W. Specifically, the control part 110 controls the curing unit 80 to irradiate ultraviolet light toward the protective member forming table 30, thereby curing the liquid resin R. In this way, a protective member having a desired thickness can be formed over the entire underside Wb of the wafer W.

[0087] As described above, in the embodiment, the first position is a position corrected from the tentative first position based on the difference between the target thickness and the actual thickness. That is, if the difference is positive with respect to the target thickness, the first position is set to a position obtained by adding the difference so that the distance between the wafer holder 60 and the protective member forming table 30 is increased. On the other hand, if the difference is negative, the first position is set to a position obtained by subtracting the difference so that the distance between the wafer holder 60 and the protective member forming table 30 is decreased. This allows the first position to be determined according to the actual thickness of the wafer W. In other words, it is possible to set an optimal height position for switching from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2, which is slower than the first speed, without being affected by variations in the actual thickness of the wafer W.

[0088] That is, it is possible to prevent a decrease in productivity in forming the protective member due to, for example, the timing of switching from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2 being too early, and it is also possible to prevent the wafer W from coming into contact with the liquid resin R at the first speed V1 due to, for example, the timing of the switch being too late. In other words, it is possible to prevent the liquid resin R from being pressed and spread against the wafer W at the first speed V1, and as a result, it is possible to press and spread the liquid resin R evenly from the central region of the wafer W toward the periphery at the second speed V2, and to reduce the possibility of air bubbles being generated between the wafer W and the liquid resin R.

[0089] Furthermore, as described above, in the embodiment, the control unit 110 acquires, as the actual thickness, the thickness of the wafer W measured by the measurement unit 15. In this way, by measuring the actual thickness by the measurement unit 15, for example, it is possible to save the operator or the like the trouble of measuring the actual thickness of the wafer W, and also to reduce the possibility of variations in the measurement values ​​occurring due to measurements being performed by the operator or the like.

[0090] Furthermore, in the embodiment, the thickness of the wafer W measured by the measurement unit 15 is the thickness of the central region of the wafer W. In order to spread the liquid resin R evenly over the wafer W and prevent the formation of air bubbles, it is expected that the liquid resin R will be applied to the central region of the wafer W. Therefore, by setting the first position based on the thickness of the central region, it is possible to improve the accuracy of various processes for forming the protective member compared to when the first position is set using, for example, the thickness of a region other than the central region (for example, the outer periphery of the wafer W).

[0091] Furthermore, in the embodiment, the actual thickness of the wafer W and the target thickness of the wafer W are stored in the storage unit 120 as the protective member formation information 120a. This reduces the processing load compared to, for example, a case where this information is not stored in the storage unit 120 and the control unit 110 measures the thickness of the wafer W every time the control unit 110 executes the process of forming the protective member.

[0092] In the embodiment, the tentative first position is set based on the target thickness, the thickness of the sheet, and the amount of liquid resin R. By determining the tentative first position based on a plurality of parameters in this way, it is possible to set the first position with higher accuracy.

[0093] Furthermore, in the embodiment, a third position is set that corresponds to the target resin thickness when the liquid resin R is spread. In this way, by bringing the wafer holder 60 and the protective member forming table 30 closer to each other at a low speed over multiple stages and controlling the liquid resin R to the final target thickness, the liquid resin R can be spread evenly over the wafer W and the possibility of air bubbles being generated can be reduced compared to when the liquid resin R is controlled to the final target thickness at, for example, the second position.

[0094] (Method for manufacturing workpieces and chips) Next, a method for manufacturing a workpiece and a method for manufacturing a chip will be described. As described above, when removing deformation factors such as undulations formed on a wafer W cut from an ingot, a protective member is formed by hardening a liquid resin R supplied to the entire one surface of the cut wafer W using a protective member forming device 1. After the protective member is formed in this way, a grinding process is performed to remove the deformation factors, and the wafer W is thinned.

[0095] After the deforming factors are removed by grinding, the wafer W is subjected to a process for dividing into chips. That is, the wafer W is divided into chips along the planned dividing lines.

[0096] 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a process including a method for manufacturing the workpiece and a method for manufacturing the chip. Note that this process may be performed after the process described with reference to FIG.

[0097] The process shown in FIG. 12 includes a first conveying step S20, a thinning step S21, a second conveying step S22, and a dividing step S23.

[0098] The first transport step S20 is a step of transporting the wafer W on which the protective member has been formed to a grinding device (not shown) from the protective member forming device 1. For example, the wafer W on which the protective member has been formed is transported in a state accommodated in a cassette C2 by a transport device or the like (not shown).

[0099] The thinning step S21 is a step for removing deformation factors such as undulations formed on the wafer W, flattening the wafer W, and thinning the wafer. Here, the surface (e.g., the upper surface Wa of the wafer W) opposite to the surface on which the protective member is formed (e.g., the lower surface Wb of the wafer W) is thinned. Specifically, in a grinding apparatus, the lower surface Wb of the wafer W is held by a holding table, and the upper surface Wa of the wafer W is ground. Note that the lower surface Wb of the wafer W may be considered to be flattened by the formation of the protective member. Alternatively, after grinding the upper surface Wa of the wafer W, the protective member formed on the lower surface Wb of the wafer W may be peeled off, and the same grinding may be performed on the lower surface Wb of the wafer W. Note that the grinding apparatus may be a conventionally known grinding apparatus.

[0100] In this way, deformation factors such as waviness can be eliminated by thinning the wafer W. Then, a workpiece can be manufactured by performing the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0101] The second transfer step S22 is a step of transferring the thinned wafer W from the grinding device to a cutting device (not shown). For example, the thinned wafer W is transferred by a transfer device (not shown).

[0102] The dividing step S23 is a step of dividing the thinned wafer W into chips. That is, in a cutting device, cutting is performed on the wafer W placed on a holding table. Specifically, after alignment, cutting is performed along the planned dividing line while moving the cutting blade and the holding table relative to each other. This allows the wafer W to be divided into individual devices, that is, the wafer W can be divided into chips. The cutting device may be a conventionally known cutting device.

[0103] (Variation) Next, a modified example will be described. In the above-described embodiment, in the measurement step S10, the actual thickness of the wafer W measured by the measurement unit 15 is stored in the memory unit 120. However, the actual thickness of the wafer W stored in the memory unit 120 may be data measured by, for example, an operator or the like. That is, the actual thickness of the wafer W may be measured by the measurement unit 15 or may be measured by an operator or the like.

[0104] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the wafer holding unit 60 is disposed on the upper side in the Z-axis direction, and the protective member forming table 30 is disposed on the lower side in the Z-axis direction so as to face the wafer holding unit 60. However, these positions may be reversed. That is, the wafer holding unit 60 may be disposed on the lower side in the Z-axis direction, and the protective member forming table 30 may be disposed on the upper side in the Z-axis direction. In this case, the resin supply unit 50 may drip the liquid resin R onto the upper surface Wa of the wafer W. That is, the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30 may be positioned in any position as long as they face each other in the Z-axis direction. Furthermore, the liquid resin R supplied from the resin supply unit 50 may be supplied to the sheet S or the wafer W depending on the positional relationship between the wafer holding unit 60 and the protective member forming table 30.

[0105] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the resin supply step S13 in FIG. 8 was described as an example in which the liquid resin R was dripped only onto the upper surface Sa of the sheet S. However, as shown in FIG. 13, in addition to the liquid resin R dripped onto the upper surface Sa of the sheet S, a spot of liquid resin Ra may also be applied to the central region of the opposing underside Wb of the wafer W. By applying the liquid resin Ra to the central region of the underside Wb of the wafer W in this manner, when the underside Wb of the wafer W and the upper surface of the liquid resin R come into contact and the liquid resin R is pushed out from the central region of the wafer W toward the periphery, the liquid resin R is pushed out toward the periphery after the opposing liquid resins come into contact with each other. This reduces the possibility of air bubbles forming in the central region of the wafer W compared to, for example, not applying the liquid resin Ra to the central region of the underside Wb of the wafer W in a spot manner.

[0106] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the thickness (i.e., height) of the liquid resin R dropped onto the upper surface Sa of the sheet S was described as a height based on a predetermined supply amount. However, the actual thickness of the dropped liquid resin R may also be used. In this case, for example, the control unit 110 measures the thickness of the liquid resin R supplied by the resin supply unit 50 using a measurement unit (not shown). The control unit 110 then takes the actual thickness of the liquid resin R into consideration when setting the first position. That is, similar to the thickness of the wafer W, the control unit 110 may take into consideration the difference between the actual thickness and the target thickness. Specifically, the control unit 110, through the function of the first movement control unit 112, corrects the tentative first position based on the difference between the target thickness and the actual thickness of the wafer W and the difference between the target resin thickness (predetermined resin thickness) based on the amount of liquid resin R and the actual resin thickness.

[0107] In this way, by taking into account the difference between the actual thickness and the target thickness, it is possible to set a more accurate first position for the thickness of the liquid resin R. In other words, even if the amount of liquid resin R dispensed is a predetermined amount, there is a risk that the actual thickness (height) of the liquid resin R will vary depending on the temperature of the sheet S and other environmental factors, but by taking into account the difference between the actual thickness and the target thickness in this way, it is possible to more appropriately set the height position at which to switch from the first speed to a second speed that is slower than the first speed.

[0108] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, when the wafer holder 60 and the protective member forming table 30 are brought closer to each other, the lifting unit 70 is controlled to lower the position of the underside Wb of the wafer W in the order of the first position, the second position, and the third position so that the thickness of the liquid resin R becomes the target resin thickness. However, a fourth position or a fifth position may be set where the wafer W is lowered at an even slower speed than the movement speed to the third position. In that case, the thickness of the liquid resin R may be configured to become the target resin thickness at the fourth position or the fifth position. Alternatively, the thickness of the liquid resin R may be configured to become the target resin thickness at the second position.

[0109] Increasing the number of positions (fourth position, fifth position, etc.) at which the movement speed is switched until the target resin thickness is reached makes it possible to more accurately spread the liquid resin R evenly over the underside Wb of the wafer W and reduce the possibility of air bubbles forming between the underside Wb of the wafer W and the upper surface of the liquid resin R, but this slows down the movement speed accordingly. Therefore, it is sufficient that the movement speed is switched from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2 at least at the first position, and the settings of the third, fourth, fifth, etc. positions may be set as appropriate depending on the precision of various processes required for forming the protective member, for example.

[0110] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first position, the second position, and the third position are defined as the height to the lower surface Wb of the wafer W when the height of the sheet holding surface 31 is set to "0", but as long as the definition has the same meaning, they may be defined as a height other than the lower surface Wb of the wafer W. For example, they may be defined as the height of the upper surface Wa of the wafer W or the height of the lifting plate 72, etc.

[0111] Furthermore, the above-mentioned first position may be corrected taking into consideration, for example, the temperature on the sheet S. This is because the above-mentioned resin application height may change depending on the temperature of the sheet S. For example, a temperature detection unit (not shown) that detects the temperature on the sheet S may be provided near the protective member forming table 30, and if the temperature on the sheet S detected by the temperature detection unit is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the distance between the lower surface Wb of the wafer W and the upper surface of the liquid resin R may be reduced, and if the temperature on the sheet S is lower than the threshold value, the distance between the lower surface Wb of the wafer W and the upper surface of the liquid resin R may be increased. Other factors that may be considered include the temperature of the protective member forming table 30 or the temperature of the wafer holding surface 63 of the wafer holding unit 60.

[0112] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0113] For example, the above-described protective member forming apparatus 1 may be separated into multiple devices. For example, at least some of the measurement unit 15, control unit 110, and storage unit 120 included in the above-described protective member forming apparatus 1 may be separate devices. Also, a system for forming a protective member may be configured by multiple devices.

[0114] Furthermore, for example, in the above-described control unit 100, the acquisition unit 111, first movement control unit 112, second movement control unit 113, and third movement control unit 114 that constitute the control unit 110 may be separated into multiple devices. For example, some of the functions of the acquisition unit 111, first movement control unit 112, second movement control unit 113, and third movement control unit 114 may be realized by a server or the like.

[0115] The protective member forming method described in the above-described embodiment can be realized by executing a prepared control program on a computer. The control program is recorded on a computer-readable storage medium and executed by being read from the storage medium. The control program may be provided in a form stored on a non-transitory storage medium such as a flash memory, or may be provided via a network such as the Internet. The computer that executes the control program may be included in a processing device, or may be included in an electronic device such as a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer that can communicate with the processing device, or may be included in a server device that can communicate with these processing devices and electronic devices.

[0116] This specification describes at least the following items. Note that the components in parentheses correspond to those in the above-described embodiment, but are not limited to these.

[0117] (1) A protective member forming apparatus (protective member forming apparatus 1) that supplies a liquid resin (liquid resin R) between a first surface (lower surface Wb of wafer W) of a workpiece (wafer W) and a first surface (upper surface Sa of sheet S) of a sheet (sheet S) to form a protective member on the first surface of the workpiece, a first holding unit (wafer holding part 60) that holds a second surface (upper surface Wa of wafer W) of the workpiece that faces the first surface; a second holding unit (protective member forming table 30) that is provided opposite the first holding unit and holds a second surface (a lower surface Sb of the sheet S) that faces the first surface of the sheet; a resin supply unit (resin supply unit 50) that supplies the liquid resin to at least one of the first surface of the workpiece held by the first holding unit and the first surface of the sheet held by the second holding unit; a moving unit (lifting unit 70) that moves the first holding unit and the second holding unit relatively in a direction in which they approach each other; a control unit (control unit 110) that controls the protective member forming device, The control unit An acquisition unit (acquisition unit 111) that acquires an estimated thickness that is an estimated thickness of the workpiece and an actual thickness that is an actual thickness of the workpiece; a first movement control unit (first movement control unit 112) that controls the movement unit to move the first holding unit and the second holding unit at a first speed (first speed V1) so as to approach each other to a first position where the workpiece and the sheet are not connected by the liquid resin; a second movement control unit (second movement control unit 113) that controls the movement unit to move the first holding unit and the second holding unit from the first position to a second position where the liquid resin is spread between the workpiece and the sheet at a second speed (second speed V2) that is slower than the first speed so as to bring the first holding unit and the second holding unit closer to each other; The first movement control unit is a temporary first position preset based on the target thickness, and a position corrected based on a difference between the target thickness and the actual thickness is set as the first position; Protective member forming device.

[0118] According to (1), the first position is determined according to the actual thickness of the workpiece, so that even if there is variation in the actual thickness of the workpiece, it is possible to appropriately set the height position at which the speed is switched from the first speed to the second speed, which is slower than the first speed.

[0119] (2) The protective member forming apparatus according to (1), Further provided is a measurement unit (measurement unit 15) for measuring the thickness of the workpiece, The acquisition unit The thickness of the workpiece measured by the measuring unit is acquired as the actual thickness. Protective member forming device.

[0120] According to (2), for example, it is possible to save the operator or the like the trouble of measuring the actual thickness of the workpiece, and to reduce the possibility of variations in the measured values ​​due to measurements being performed by the operator or the like.

[0121] (3) A protective member forming apparatus according to (1) or (2), The actual thickness of the workpiece is the thickness of the central region of the workpiece; Protective member forming device.

[0122] According to (3), the accuracy of various processes for forming the protective member can be improved compared to when the first position is set using the thickness of a region other than the central region (for example, the outer periphery of the workpiece).

[0123] (4) A protective member forming apparatus according to (1) or (2), Further provided is a memory unit (memory unit 120) that stores the actual thickness of the workpiece and the target thickness of the workpiece. Protective member forming device.

[0124] According to (4), the load of the process is reduced compared to when the control unit measures the thickness of the workpiece every time the control unit executes the process of forming the protective member.

[0125] (5) A protective member forming apparatus according to (1) or (2), The temporary first position is The thickness is set based on the target thickness, the thickness of the sheet, and the amount of the liquid resin. Protective member forming device.

[0126] According to (5), the tentative first position is determined based on such a plurality of parameters, so that the first position can be set with higher accuracy.

[0127] (6) A protective member forming apparatus according to (1) or (2), The control unit The control unit further includes a third movement control unit (third movement control unit 114) that controls the movement unit after moving the first holding unit and the second holding unit to the second position, to move the first holding unit and the second holding unit at a third speed (third speed V3) slower than the second speed so as to bring them closer to a third position where the liquid resin has a target resin thickness that is a target thickness of the liquid resin when the liquid resin is spread. Protective member forming device.

[0128] According to (6), for example, compared to controlling the final target thickness of the liquid resin at the second position, the liquid resin spreads evenly over the workpiece and the possibility of air bubbles occurring can be reduced.

[0129] (7) A protective member forming apparatus according to (1) or (2), The acquisition unit Further, an actual resin thickness is obtained, which is an actual thickness based on the amount of the liquid resin; The first movement control unit is a position corrected based on a difference between the target thickness and the actual thickness of the workpiece and a difference between a target resin thickness based on the amount of the liquid resin and the actual resin thickness is set as the first position, with respect to the tentative first position; Protective member forming device.

[0130] According to (7), by taking into consideration the difference between the actual thickness and the target thickness of the liquid resin, a more accurate first position can be set. In other words, even if the amount of liquid resin dispensed is a predetermined amount, the actual thickness (height) of the liquid resin may vary depending on the temperature of the sheet and other environmental factors. However, by taking into consideration the difference between the actual thickness and the target thickness in this way, it is possible to more appropriately set the height position at which to switch from the first speed to a second speed that is slower than the first speed.

[0131] (8) A method for forming a protective member, comprising: supplying a liquid resin (liquid resin R) between a first surface (lower surface Wb of wafer W) of a workpiece (wafer W) and a first surface (upper surface Sa of sheet S) of a sheet (sheet S) to form a protective member on the first surface of the workpiece, A measurement step (measurement step S10) for measuring an actual thickness of the workpiece; a first holding step (first holding step S11) of holding a second surface (upper surface Wa of wafer W) of the workpiece opposite to the first surface; a second holding step (second holding step S12) of holding a second surface (lower surface Sb of sheet S) opposite to the first surface of the sheet; a resin supplying step (resin supplying step S13) of supplying liquid resin to at least one of the first surface of the workpiece and the first surface of the sheet; a first moving step (first moving step S14) of moving the workpiece and the sheet relatively in a direction approaching each other at a first speed (first speed V1) to a first position where the workpiece and the sheet are not connected by the liquid resin after the resin supplying step; a second movement step (second movement step S15) of moving the workpiece and the sheet from the first position to a second position where the liquid resin is spread between the workpiece and the sheet at a second speed (second speed V2) slower than the first speed so as to bring the workpiece and the sheet closer together after the first movement step, The first position is set to a position corrected based on a difference between a target thickness that is a target thickness of the workpiece and the actual thickness, with respect to a tentative first position that is set in advance based on the target thickness. A method for forming a protective member.

[0132] According to (8), even if there is variation in the actual thickness of the workpiece, it is possible to appropriately set the height position at which the speed is switched from the first speed to the second speed, which is slower than the first speed.

[0133] (9) The method for forming a protective member according to (8), The measuring step measuring the thickness of a central region of the workpiece; A method for forming a protective member.

[0134] According to (9), the accuracy of various processes for forming the protective member can be improved compared to when the first position is set using the thickness of a region other than the central region (for example, the outer periphery of the workpiece).

[0135] (10) A method for manufacturing a workpiece, comprising: supplying a liquid resin (liquid resin R) between a first surface (lower surface Wb of wafer W) of the workpiece (wafer W) and a first surface (upper surface Sa of sheet S) of a sheet (sheet S) to form a protective member on the first surface of the workpiece; and thinning a second surface (upper surface Wa of wafer W) of the workpiece opposite to the first surface, A measurement step (measurement step S10) for measuring an actual thickness of the workpiece; a first holding step (first holding step S11) of holding the second surface of the workpiece; a second holding step (second holding step S12) of holding a second surface (lower surface Sb of sheet S) opposite to the first surface of the sheet; a resin supplying step (resin supplying step S13) of supplying liquid resin to at least one of the first surface of the workpiece and the first surface of the sheet; a first moving step (first moving step S14) of moving the workpiece and the sheet relatively in a direction approaching each other at a first speed (first speed V1) to a first position where the workpiece and the sheet are not connected by the liquid resin after the resin supplying step; After the first moving step, a second moving step (second moving step S15) is performed to move the workpiece and the sheet from the first position to a second position where the liquid resin is spread between the workpiece and the sheet at a second speed (second speed V2) slower than the first speed so as to bring the workpiece and the sheet closer to each other; a thinning step (thinning step S21) of thinning the second surface of the workpiece after the second moving step, The first position is set to a position corrected based on a difference between a target thickness that is a target thickness of the workpiece and the actual thickness, with respect to a tentative first position that is set in advance based on the target thickness. A method for manufacturing a workpiece.

[0136] According to (10), after an appropriate first position is set, the second surface opposite to the first surface on which the protective member is formed is thinned, thereby enabling the manufacture of a highly accurate (in other words, desired) workpiece.

[0137] (11) A method for manufacturing chips, comprising: supplying a liquid resin (liquid resin R) between a first surface (lower surface Wb of wafer W) of a workpiece (wafer W) and a first surface (upper surface Sa of sheet S) of a sheet (sheet S) to form a protective member on the first surface of the workpiece; and dividing the workpiece into chips, A measurement step (measurement step S10) for measuring an actual thickness of the workpiece; a first holding step (first holding step S11) of holding a second surface (upper surface Wa of wafer W) of the workpiece opposite to the first surface; a second holding step (second holding step S12) of holding a second surface (lower surface Sb of sheet S) opposite to the first surface of the sheet; a resin supplying step (resin supplying step S13) of supplying liquid resin to at least one of the first surface of the workpiece and the first surface of the sheet; a first moving step (first moving step S14) of moving the workpiece and the sheet relatively in a direction approaching each other at a first speed (first speed V1) to a first position where the workpiece and the sheet are not connected by the liquid resin after the resin supplying step; After the first moving step, a second moving step (second moving step S15) is performed to move the workpiece and the sheet from the first position to a second position where the liquid resin is spread between the workpiece and the sheet at a second speed (second speed V2) slower than the first speed so as to bring the workpiece and the sheet closer to each other; a dividing step (dividing step S23) of dividing the workpiece into chips along a planned dividing line after the second moving step, The first position is set to a position corrected based on a difference between a target thickness that is a target thickness of the workpiece and the actual thickness, with respect to a tentative first position that is set in advance based on the target thickness. How chips are manufactured.

[0138] According to (11), after the first position is set appropriately, the workpiece on which the protective member is formed can be cut into chips, thereby enabling the manufacture of highly accurate (in other words, desired) chips. [Explanation of symbols]

[0139] 1. Protective member forming device 15 measurement units 30 Protective material forming table (second holding unit) 50 Resin supply unit 60 Wafer holding part (first holding unit) 70 Lifting unit (mobile unit) 110 control section 111 Acquisition Department 112 First movement control section 113 Second movement control section 114 Third Movement Control Unit 120 Storage section R Liquid resin S seat W Wafer (workpiece) S10 Measurement step S11 First holding step S12 Second holding step S13 Resin supply step S14 First movement step S15 Second movement step V1 1st speed V2 2nd speed V3 3rd speed

Claims

1. 1. A protective member forming device that supplies a liquid resin between a first surface of a workpiece and a first surface of a sheet to form a protective member on the first surface of the workpiece, a first holding unit that holds a second surface of the workpiece opposite to the first surface; a second holding unit provided opposite the first holding unit and configured to hold a second surface of the sheet opposite the first surface; a resin supply unit that supplies the liquid resin to at least one of the first surface of the workpiece held by the first holding unit and the first surface of the sheet held by the second holding unit; a moving unit that moves the first holding unit and the second holding unit relatively in a direction in which they approach each other; a control unit that controls the protective member forming device, The control unit an acquisition unit that acquires an estimated thickness that is an estimated thickness of the workpiece and an actual thickness that is an actual thickness of the workpiece; a first movement control unit that controls the movement unit to move the first holding unit and the second holding unit at a first speed so as to approach each other to a first position where the workpiece and the sheet are not connected by the liquid resin; a second movement control unit that controls the movement unit to move the first holding unit and the second holding unit from the first position to a second position where the liquid resin is spread between the workpiece and the sheet at a second speed that is slower than the first speed so as to bring the first holding unit and the second holding unit closer to each other; The first movement control unit is a temporary first position preset based on the target thickness, and a position corrected based on a difference between the target thickness and the actual thickness is set as the first position; Protective member forming device.

2. The protective member forming apparatus according to claim 1, Further comprising a measuring unit for measuring the thickness of the workpiece; The acquisition unit The thickness of the workpiece measured by the measuring unit is acquired as the actual thickness. Protective member forming device.

3. The protective member forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The actual thickness of the workpiece is the thickness of the central region of the workpiece; Protective member forming device.

4. The protective member forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, Further, a storage unit is provided which stores the actual thickness of the workpiece and the target thickness of the workpiece. Protective member forming device.

5. The protective member forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The tentative first position is The thickness is set based on the target thickness, the thickness of the sheet, and the amount of the liquid resin. Protective member forming device.

6. The protective member forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The control unit a third movement control unit that controls the moving unit after moving the first holding unit and the second holding unit to the second position, to move the first holding unit and the second holding unit at a third speed slower than the second speed so as to bring them closer to a third position where a target resin thickness is achieved, which is a target thickness of the liquid resin when the liquid resin is spread; Protective member forming device.

7. The protective member forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The acquisition unit Further, an actual resin thickness is obtained, which is an actual thickness based on the amount of the liquid resin; The first movement control unit is a position corrected based on a difference between the target thickness and the actual thickness of the workpiece and a difference between a target resin thickness based on the amount of the liquid resin and the actual resin thickness is set as the first position, with respect to the tentative first position; Protective member forming device.

8. 1. A method for forming a protective member, comprising: supplying a liquid resin between a first surface of a workpiece and a first surface of a sheet to form a protective member on the first surface of the workpiece, a measuring step of measuring an actual thickness of the workpiece; a first holding step of holding a second surface of the workpiece opposite to the first surface; a second holding step of holding a second surface of the sheet opposite to the first surface; a resin supplying step of supplying a liquid resin to at least one of the first surface of the workpiece and the first surface of the sheet; a first moving step of moving the workpiece and the sheet relatively at a first speed in a direction in which they approach each other to a first position where the workpiece and the sheet are not connected by the liquid resin after the resin supplying step; a second moving step of moving the workpiece and the sheet from the first position to a second position at a second speed slower than the first speed so as to bring the workpiece and the sheet closer together, the second moving step being followed by the first moving step and forcing the liquid resin to spread between the workpiece and the sheet; The first position is set to a position corrected based on a difference between a target thickness that is a target thickness of the workpiece and the actual thickness, with respect to a tentative first position that is set in advance based on the target thickness. A method for forming a protective member.

9. The method for forming a protective member according to claim 8, The measuring step measuring the thickness of a central region of the workpiece; A method for forming a protective member.

10. 1. A method for manufacturing a workpiece, comprising: supplying a liquid resin between a first surface of a workpiece and a first surface of a sheet to form a protective member on the first surface of the workpiece; and thinning a second surface of the workpiece opposite the first surface, the method comprising: a measuring step of measuring an actual thickness of the workpiece; a first holding step of holding the second surface of the workpiece; a second holding step of holding a second surface of the sheet opposite to the first surface; a resin supplying step of supplying a liquid resin to at least one of the first surface of the workpiece and the first surface of the sheet; a first moving step of moving the workpiece and the sheet relatively at a first speed in a direction in which they approach each other to a first position where the workpiece and the sheet are not connected by the liquid resin after the resin supplying step; a second moving step of moving the workpiece and the sheet from the first position to a second position where the liquid resin is spread between the workpiece and the sheet at a second speed slower than the first speed so as to bring the workpiece and the sheet closer to each other after the first moving step; a thinning step of thinning the second surface of the workpiece after the second moving step, The first position is set to a position corrected based on a difference between a target thickness that is a target thickness of the workpiece and the actual thickness, with respect to a tentative first position that is set in advance based on the target thickness. A method for manufacturing a workpiece.

11. 1. A method for manufacturing chips, comprising: supplying a liquid resin between a first surface of a workpiece and a first surface of a sheet to form a protective member on the first surface of the workpiece; and dividing the workpiece into chips, a measuring step of measuring an actual thickness of the workpiece; a first holding step of holding a second surface of the workpiece opposite to the first surface; a second holding step of holding a second surface of the sheet opposite to the first surface; a resin supplying step of supplying a liquid resin to at least one of the first surface of the workpiece and the first surface of the sheet; a first moving step of moving the workpiece and the sheet relatively at a first speed in a direction in which they approach each other to a first position where the workpiece and the sheet are not connected by the liquid resin after the resin supplying step; a second moving step of moving the workpiece and the sheet from the first position to a second position where the liquid resin is spread between the workpiece and the sheet at a second speed slower than the first speed so as to bring the workpiece and the sheet closer to each other after the first moving step; a dividing step of dividing the workpiece into chips along a planned dividing line after the second moving step, The first position is set to a position corrected based on a difference between a target thickness that is a target thickness of the workpiece and the actual thickness, with respect to a tentative first position that is set in advance based on the target thickness. How chips are manufactured.

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