Wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus

Abstract

To improve efficiency as a whole by shortening the time from peeling work to conveyance to a sheet cleaning part by a delivery device without damaging a wafer.SOLUTION: In a wafer peeling and washing device, a wafer peeling and feeding unit 100 includes first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201, a fall prevention plate 214, and a double wafer taking prevention plate 216 having a slit 216a formed on an upper part of the fall prevention plate 214, and a delivery device 118 includes a delivery suction pad 300 and a pressure switch for detecting that a wafer W is sucked and held by the delivery suction pad 300, and the vacuum suction of the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 is released by a detection signal by the pressure switch. Retraction of the delivery suction pad 300 and lowering of the first and second separation suction pads 200 and 201 are started.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus, and more particularly to a wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus that peels wafers that have been simultaneously cut into multiple pieces by a wire saw and put into a batch state (bundled) from a slice base to separate them into individual wafers and clean them. [Background technology]

[0002] When an ingot is cut with a wire saw, all the wafers are cut while still adhered to the slice base. Therefore, the wafers must be peeled off from the slice base to be separated into individual wafers. In addition, immediately after being cut with a wire saw, the wafers have machining fluids adhering to them, so they must be cleaned to remove the machining fluids.

[0003] Conventionally, this wafer peeling and cleaning operation was performed by a single wafer peeling and cleaning device. The wafer peeling and cleaning device is comprised of a rough cleaning section, a wafer peeling and cleaning section, a cleaning section, and a collection section. Immediately after dicing, wafers are first transported to the rough cleaning section for rough cleaning. The roughly cleaned batch of wafers is then transported to the wafer peeling and cleaning section, where they are peeled one by one from the slicing base and separated into individual wafers. The wafers peeled from the slicing base are then transported by a transfer device to the individual wafer cleaning section. They are then cleaned individually, and collected one by one in the collection section, where they are stored in a cassette.

[0004] In the wafer separation unit, a pair of separation suction pads are arranged at a predetermined interval to efficiently separate the wafers, and the pair of separation suction pads vacuum-suck and hold the wafers. The separation suction pads are swung back and forth, and are raised and lowered by a lifting rotary actuator, and are stopped at a predetermined transfer position, as is known and described in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-288902 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the device described in Patent Document 1, the wafer is simply vacuum-sucked by a pair of peeling suction pads, swung back and forth, and moved up and down, which is desirable in terms of efficient wafer peeling, but is not sufficient for lifting the peeled wafer and reliably transferring it to the transfer suction pads at the transfer position. In particular, if the speed of the lifting movement is increased to improve efficiency, there is a risk that the wafer will fall during the process or that the wafer's position will become unstable, resulting in damage. Another issue was that when the wafer was tilted, the suction pad for peeling could not properly hold the wafer.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art described above and to provide a wafer delaminating and cleaning apparatus that can reliably hold a wafer by suction with a delaminating suction pad even if the wafer is tilted, easily delaminates the wafer one by one with little force, and reliably transports the delaminated wafer to a delivery device or a single wafer cleaning section, thereby reducing time and improving overall efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus that peels a batch of wafers, which have been cut simultaneously, one by one from a slice base in a wafer peeling and cleaning unit to separate the wafers, transports the peeled wafers to a single wafer cleaning unit for single wafer cleaning, and recovers the wafers in a cassette in a recovery unit.The wafer peeling and cleaning unit includes a hot water bath shaped like a rectangular box for storing hot water, a workpiece holder installed in the hot water bath for holding the wafers, a first peeling suction pad positioned so that its central axis coincides with the central axis of the wafer when the wafer is held in the workpiece holder, a second peeling suction pad positioned below the first peeling suction pad and extending and contracting in the axial direction, a first guide rail arranged along the length of the hot water bath, a first feed motor for moving the first and second peeling suction pads along the first guide rail along the length of the hot water bath, and an elevation rotary actuator for moving the first and second peeling suction pads vertically upward.

[0009] In the above, it is preferable that the second peeling suction pad is a bellows type vacuum suction pad.

[0010] Furthermore, it is desirable that the first peeling suction pad is a flat vacuum pad having a flat surface and has a stronger suction force than the second peeling suction pad.

[0011] Furthermore, when wafers are peeled one by one from the batch state to form individual wafers, it is desirable that the wafers be held by suction in such a manner that the second peeling suction pad contacts the edge face of the wafer and pulls it in, and then the first peeling suction pad suctions the central axis of the wafer.

[0012] Furthermore, it is desirable to have a tilt prevention plate that prevents the wafers from tilting forward when the wafers are peeled one by one from the batch state to form single wafers, and the second peeling suction pad pulls the wafers toward the tilt prevention plate, centering around the vicinity of the adhesive portion of the wafers in the batch state.

[0013] Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a swinging rotary actuator that swings the first and second peeling suction pads in a direction along the axis of the wafer, and to drive the swinging rotary actuator to swing the first and second peeling suction pads, thereby peeling the wafer from the slice base.

[0014] Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a water supply nozzle vertically above the wafers, and to supply hot water or water vertically above the wafers near the center when the wafers are peeled off one by one.

[0015] Furthermore, it is desirable to have air nozzles provided on both side surfaces of the wafer, and when the edge surfaces of the wafers set in the hot water bath are suction-held by the first and second peeling suction pads and the wafers are peeled one by one, air is blown onto the side surfaces of the wafers by the air nozzles.

[0016] Furthermore, it is desirable that the air nozzle blows air from the lower side to the upper side of the wafer.

[0017] Furthermore, it is desirable that the air nozzle blows air onto a batch of a plurality of wafers when peeling one wafer off. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus that can reliably suck a wafer by a peeling suction pad even if the wafer is tilted, shortens the time from the peeling operation to the transfer device to the single wafer cleaning section, and improves overall efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a wafer peeling and cleaning device; [Figure 2] 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of the wafer separation unit; [Figure 3]FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a peeling device; [Figure 4] A partial cross-sectional plan view showing the configuration of the delivery device [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the configuration of a peeling device; [Figure 6] A side view showing the configuration of the peeling device [Figure 7] A front view showing the configuration of the wafer separation unit [Figure 8] A front view showing the configuration of the delivery device [Figure 9] A partial cross-sectional side view showing the configuration of the delivery device [Figure 10] An enlarged side view of a main part showing details of the suction part for peeling [Figure 11] An enlarged front view of the main part showing the details of the suction part for peeling [Figure 12] Illustrative diagram of peeling operation [Figure 13] A side view showing the configuration of the single wafer cleaning unit [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the configuration of the transport unit; [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the configuration of the recovery unit; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a wafer delaminating and cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a wafer delaminating and cleaning unit 100. As shown in Fig. 1, the wafer delaminating and cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment is mainly composed of a rough cleaning unit 10, a wafer delaminating and cleaning unit 100, a transport unit 310, a single wafer cleaning unit 350, a detection unit 400, and a recovery unit 500. An overview of each of the main units will be described.

[0021] The rough cleaning section 10 shower-cleans wafers W in a batch state immediately after being cut with a wire saw (wafers W bonded to a slice base S) to remove slurry that adhered during cutting. The rough cleaning section 10 is equipped with a rough cleaning device 12 that cleans the wafers W. The rough cleaning device 12 has a cleaning process in which the wafers W are immersed with the mounting plate M on the upper side and the slice grooves on the lower side for cleaning. When cleaning is completed, the wafers are shaken up and down to create a water flow in the grooves for cleaning. After cleaning is completed, the wafers are transported from the rough cleaning section 10 as they are to the next wafer separation section 100 by a lifter.

[0022] In the wafer separation unit 100, wafers W in a batch state are separated one by one from the slice base S to separate them into wafers. As shown in Fig. 2, the wafer separation unit 100 is mainly composed of a hot water bath 112, a separation device 114, and a delivery device 118. The delivery device 118 receives the wafers separated from the slice base S by the separation device 114 and delivers them to the shuttle conveyor 312 of the transport unit 310.

[0023] The transfer unit 310 receives the wafers W that have been separated and separated into individual wafers in the wafer separation unit 100, and transfers them to the next single wafer cleaning unit 350. Then, the wafers W are transferred to the single wafer cleaning unit 350 by a shuttle conveyor 312 provided in the transfer unit 310.

[0024] The single wafer cleaning unit 350 cleans the wafers W separated and separated by the single wafer separation unit 100 one by one. The single wafer cleaning unit 350 is composed of a single wafer brush cleaning unit 352, a single wafer pre-rinse unit 354, and a single wafer rinse unit 356. The single wafer brush cleaning unit 352 brushes and cleans the back and front surfaces of the transported wafers W while spraying cleaning liquid onto them. After cleaning, compressed air is sprayed to drain the cleaning liquid so as not to carry it over to the next process. Then, the wafers W that have completed brush cleaning are transported to the single wafer pre-rinse unit 354 for the next process.

[0025] The single wafer pre-rinse section 354 uses a rotary brush to brush-clean the backside and rear surfaces of the transported wafers while spraying pre-rinse liquid from a pre-rinse liquid nozzle onto them. After cleaning, compressed air is sprayed onto the wafers to remove the liquid. The wafers are then transported to the single wafer rinse section 356 for the next process.

[0026] The single wafer rinsing unit 356 uses a rotating brush to brush-clean the wafer W while spraying rinse liquid from a rinse liquid nozzle onto the back surface of the wafer. After cleaning, the wafer W from which the liquid has been drained is transferred onto the round belt conveyor 411 of the detection unit 400 and conveyed to a predetermined receiving position of the detection unit 400.

[0027] The detection unit 400 detects whether or not there are cracks, chips, or residual adhesive on each of the cleaned wafers W, and measures the thickness of each of them. Then, the wafers W for which the detection has been completed are handed over to the wafer transfer robot 508 of the recovery unit 500.

[0028] The wafer transport robot 508 is an articulated robot, and is provided with a rotatable hand unit 520 at its tip, and the wafer W is transported while being held by suction with a suction pad 522 provided at the tip of the hand unit 520. The recovery unit 500 is configured with two wafer recovery units 502A and 502B that recover normal wafers, a defective wafer recovery unit 504 that recovers defective wafers, and an adhesive remaining wafer recovery unit 506 that recovers adhesive remaining wafers, in order to separate wafers with residual adhesive from defective wafers (cracked wafers, chipped wafers, wafers with defective thickness, and scraps).

[0029] The wafer transfer robot 508 receives the wafers W from the detection unit 400 and sorts and stores the wafers W into cassettes in the wafer recovery units 502, 504, and 506 based on the detection results.

[0030] Next, details of the wafer separation unit 100 will be described. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the wafer separation unit 100, Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of the separation device 114, Fig. 4 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing the configuration of the delivery device 118, Fig. 5 is a front view showing the configuration of the separation device 114, Fig. 6 is a side view showing the configuration of the separation device 114, Fig. 7 is a front view showing the configuration of the wafer separation unit 100, Fig. 8 is a front view showing the configuration of the delivery device 118, and Fig. 9 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the configuration of the delivery device 118. The wafer separation unit 100 is composed of a hot water bath 112, the separation device 114, and the delivery device 118 as main devices.

[0031] The configuration of the hot water tank 112 will be described. The hot water tank 112 is formed in a rectangular box shape, and hot water 120 is stored therein. The wafer W to be peeled off from the slice base S is set on a workpiece holder 122 provided in the hot water tank 112. Then, by setting the wafer W on the workpiece holder 122, the slice base S bonded to the wafer W is immersed in the hot water 120. At this time, it is preferable that not the entire wafer W is immersed in the hot water 120, but that the wafer W is immersed up to 2 to 3 cm above the portion of the wafer W fixed with wax.

[0032] The schematic configuration of the delamination device 114 will be described mainly with reference to Fig. 3. The delamination device 114 is a device that delaminates wafers W set in the hot water bath 112 one by one from the slice base S. As shown in Figs. 2, 5, and 7, a pair of first guide rails 136, 136 are arranged near the right side of the hot water bath 112 along the longitudinal direction of the hot water bath 112. A first slide table (traveling body) 140 is slidably supported on the first guide rails 136, 136 via linear guides 138, 138 (Fig. 5).

[0033] A nut member 142 (FIG. 5) is fixed to the underside of the first slide table 140, and the nut member 142 is threadedly engaged with a threaded rod 144 disposed between a pair of first guide rails 136, 136. Both ends of the threaded rod 144 are rotatably supported by bearing members 146, 146, and one end of the threaded rod 144 is connected to a first feed motor 148 (FIG. 6) installed at one end of the first guide rails 136, 136. The threaded rod 144 rotates when the first feed motor 148 is driven, and as a result, the first slide table 140 moves along the first guide rails 136, 136.

[0034] A separation unit 150 for separating the wafer W from the slice base S is provided on the first slide table 140. As shown in Figures 3, 5, and 6, the separation unit 150 has a bearing block 152 provided on the first slide table 140. A support shaft 156 provided at the base end of a swing frame 154 is supported by the bearing block 152 so as to be swingable.

[0035] A swing rotary actuator 160 is installed on the first slide table 140 via a bracket 158, and a drive gear 162 is fixed to the output shaft of the swing rotary actuator 160. A driven gear 164 is meshed with the drive gear 162, and the driven gear 164 is fixed to the tip of a rotating shaft 168. The rotating shaft 168 is rotatably supported by a bearing member 170, and the bearing member 170 is supported by a support plate 172 fixed to the swing rotary actuator 160.

[0036] A disk-shaped rotating plate 174 (FIGS. 5 and 6) is coaxially fixed to the driven gear 164, and one end of a connecting rod 176 is connected to the rotating plate 174 by a pin 178. The other end of the connecting rod 176 is connected to the swing frame 154 by a pin 180.

[0037] With the above configuration, the oscillating frame 154 swings around the support shaft 156 provided at its base end by driving the oscillating rotary actuator 160. That is, when the oscillating rotary actuator 160 is driven, the rotating plate 174 rotates back and forth within a range of 180°, and this back and forth rotation is transmitted to the oscillating frame 154 via the connecting rod 176, causing the oscillating frame 154 to swing.

[0038] A bearing unit 182 is provided at the upper end of the swing frame 154, and two rotary shafts 186, 188 are rotatably supported by the bearing unit 182. Arms 190, 192 are fixed to the tips of the rotary shafts 186, 188, respectively, and the tips of the arms 190, 192 are connected to a pad support plate 198 via pins 194, 196. A pair of first and second separation suction pads 200, 201 are arranged at a predetermined interval on the pad support plate 198, and the first and second separation suction pads 200, 201 hold the wafer W by vacuum suction.

[0039] A support plate 202 is attached to the back surface of the oscillating frame 154, and a lifting rotary actuator 204 is installed on the support plate 202. A fan-shaped rotating plate 206 is fixed to the output shaft of the lifting rotary actuator 204, and one end of a connecting rod 208 is connected to the rotating plate 206 by a pin 210. The other end of the connecting rod 208 is connected to one of the arms 190 by a pin 212.

[0040] With the above configuration, the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 provided on the pad support plate 198 are raised and lowered vertically by driving the lifting rotary actuator 204. That is, when the lifting rotary actuator 204 is driven, the rotating plate 206 rotates reciprocally within a range of 180°, and this reciprocating rotation is transmitted to the arm 190 via the connecting rod 208, causing one arm 190 to perform reciprocating angular motion in the up and down direction. When the arm 190 performs reciprocating angular motion, the other arm 192 also performs reciprocating angular motion as a swinging lever, and as a result, the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 provided on the pad support plate 198 are lifted vertically upward.

[0041] The first and second separation suction pads 200, 201 that suction-hold the wafer W are moved up and down by being driven by an elevation rotary actuator 204. Furthermore, the pad support plate 198 on which the first and second separation suction pads 200, 201 are mounted is connected to the oscillating frame 154 via arms 190, 192, and therefore oscillates back and forth as the oscillating frame 154 oscillates.

[0042] That is, the first and second separation suction pads 200, 201 are swung back and forth by the swinging rotary actuator 160, and are raised and lowered by the lifting rotary actuator 204. The first and second separation suction pads 200, 201 then separate the wafer W from the slice base S as follows.

[0043] The edge of the wafer W set in the hot water bath 112 is suction-held by the first and second separation suction pads 200, 201. Next, the swinging rotary actuator 160 is driven to swing the first and second separation suction pads 200, 201 back and forth (directions along the axis of the wafer). Here, the adhesive bonding the wafer W to the slicing base S is sufficiently thermally softened because it has been immersed in the hot water 120. Therefore, the wafer W is slid off from the slicing base S by swinging it multiple times.

[0044] When the wafer W is peeled off from the slice base S, the lifting rotary actuator 204 is driven, and the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 move upward while holding the peeled wafer W. They then stop at a predetermined delivery position. The wafer W transferred to the delivery position is delivered to the delivery device 118, and then transferred to the shuttle conveyor 312 by the delivery device 118, and then transported to the next process by the shuttle conveyor 312.

[0045] Meanwhile, after the transfer of the wafer W is completed, the first and second separation suction pads 200, 201 are driven by the lifting rotary actuator 204 to move downward and return to their original separation operation positions. The wafer W is separated from the slice base S by applying a swinging motion to the edge surface of the wafer W by the first and second separation suction pads 200, 201, but some wafers W may have already been separated from the slice base S before the swinging motion is applied by the first and second separation suction pads 200, 201.

[0046] In this case, there is a risk that the wafer W will fall forward and become impossible to recover. For this reason, a falling prevention plate 214 is provided in front of the wafer W to be peeled, in order to prevent the wafer W from falling forward. The falling prevention plate 214 is provided on a support plate 202 on which a lifting rotary actuator 204 is installed, and swings together with the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201.

[0047] The first and second separation suction pads 200, 201 move up and down through a passage 214a formed in the anti-tipping plate 214. A double-pickup prevention plate 216 is fixed to the top of the anti-tipping plate 214, and the wafers W separated from the slice base S are transported to a predetermined transfer position through a slit 216a formed in the double-pickup prevention plate 216. The slit 216a is formed with a width (e.g., 1.1 to 1.5 times the thickness of the wafer W) that allows just one wafer W to pass through. This prevents the two wafers from adhering to each other and being transported to the transfer position simultaneously when two wafers are separated at the same time. Specifically, by making the width of the slit 216a 1.1 to 1.5 times the thickness of the wafer W, simultaneous transfer of two wafers is prevented and surface scratches can be prevented.

[0048] Here, it is preferable that the surface of the tilting stop plate 214 is treated with a water-repellent coating such as a fluororesin coating. If the tilting stop plate 214 is not treated with a water-repellent coating, a water film will form on the surface, causing the wafer W to stick to the tilting stop plate 214. This may cause the wafer W to slip or come off the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 when being transported to the delivery position through the slit 216a, making transportation difficult. By treating the surface of the tilting stop plate 214 with a water-repellent coating, a water film will not be formed, preventing the wafer W from sticking to the tilting stop plate 214.

[0049] Furthermore, by making the surface of the tilting plate 214 slightly rough rather than mirror-finished, it is possible to suppress or prevent the wafer W from adhering to the tilting plate 214, and by combining this with a water-repellent treatment, it is possible to more reliably prevent the wafer W from sticking to the tilting plate 214.

[0050] As a result, even if two wafers are simultaneously peeled off from the slice base and stick to each other, the second wafer that is stuck to the first wafer will fall without being able to pass through the slit 216a of the double-picking prevention plate 216, so that the wafers can always be transferred one at a time to the delivery position. In this case, the wafer that falls without being able to pass through the slit 216a is prevented from falling forward by the fall prevention plate 214, so that it can be reliably collected the next time it is peeled off.

[0051] Next, a schematic configuration of the delivery device 118 will be described. The delivery device 118 is a device that receives the wafer W, which has been separated from the slice base S by the first separation suction pad 200 of the separation device 114, from the first separation suction pad 200, and delivers it to the shuttle conveyor 312. As shown in Figures 2, 4, 7, 8, and 9, the delivery device 118 is provided on the second slide table 240 of the drive unit 222, and moves along the second guide rails 236, 236 by driving the second feed motor 248.

[0052] A support column 274 is provided vertically on the second slide table 240 of the drive unit 222. A support frame 276 is provided vertically on the top of this support column 274, and a rotation rotary actuator 278 is provided horizontally on the support frame 276. A drive gear 280 is engaged with the output shaft of the rotation rotary actuator 278, and a driven gear 282 fixed to a rotation shaft 284 is engaged with the drive gear 280. The rotation shaft 284 is rotatably supported by a bearing unit 286 provided on the top of the support frame 276, and rotates within a range of 180° by driving the rotation rotary actuator 278.

[0053] A rotating frame 288 is fixed to the base end of the rotating shaft 284, and a rotating shaft 290 is rotatably supported by the rotating frame 288. An output shaft of a direction-changing rotary actuator 292 installed on the rotating frame 288 is fixed to the base end of the rotating shaft 290, and by driving the direction-changing rotary actuator 292, the rotating shaft 290 rotates within a range of 90°.

[0054] An L-shaped swivel arm 294 is fixed to the tip of the rotation shaft 290, and a support plate 296 is fixed to the tip of the swivel arm 294. A pad advancing / retracting cylinder 298 is provided on the support plate 296, and a transfer suction pad 300 is provided on the rod tip of the pad advancing / retracting cylinder 298. The wafer W separated by the first and second separation suction pads 200, 201 of the separation device 114 is transported to a predetermined transfer position and then transferred to the transfer suction pad 300.

[0055] In the transfer device 118, the wafer W held by suction on the transfer suction pad 300 is rotated within a range of 180° on a vertical plane by driving the rotation rotary actuator 278, and its direction is changed from the vertical state to the horizontal state by driving the direction change rotary actuator 292.

[0056] The wafer W separated by the separation device 114 is received and transferred onto the shuttle conveyor 312 as follows: The wafer W separated from the slice base S is lifted and transported to a predetermined transfer position while being held by suction on the first and second separation suction pads 200, 201. The transfer suction pad 300 is already waiting at the transfer position, and the wafer W is positioned coaxially with the axis of the transfer suction pad 300.

[0057] When the wafer W is transferred to the delivery position, the pad advancing / retracting cylinder 298 is then driven, and the delivery suction pad 300 advances a predetermined distance toward the wafer W. As a result, the delivery suction pad 300 comes into close contact with the edge surface of the wafer W. Next, the delivery suction pad 300 is driven, and the wafer W is sucked and held by the delivery suction pad 300. A pressure switch (not shown) provided on the delivery suction pad 300 detects that the wafer W has been sucked and held by the delivery suction pad 300. The pressure switch can be installed anywhere that can detect the pressure inside the delivery suction pad 300 and does not interfere with the suction of the wafer W. For example, a pressure switch can be installed in an air suction pipe (not shown) that is disposed inside the swing arm 294 and that operates the delivery suction pad 300. However, the installation location of the pressure switch is not limited to the inside of the swing arm 294 as long as it can detect the pressure inside the air suction pipe. The pressure switch can also be installed anywhere between the part where the air suction pipe exits the swing arm 294 and is connected to the air suction pump (not shown). Alternatively, a pressure switch can be installed inside the part of the swing arm 294 where the delivery suction pad 300 is connected so that the pressure inside the delivery suction pad 300 can be directly detected. Then, this detection signal causes the vacuum suction of the first separation suction pad 200 to be released, i.e., air to flow in. As a result, the wafer W is transferred from the first separation suction pad 200 to the transfer suction pad 300. The vacuum suction of the second separation suction pad 201 may be released simultaneously with the release of the first separation suction pad 200. However, the vacuum suction may also be released before the wafer W is raised or before it is transferred to the transfer position, which will stabilize the posture of the wafer W.

[0058] Upon receiving the wafer W, the delivery suction pad 300 starts driving the pad advancing / retracting cylinder 298 in response to a detection signal from the pressure switch, and moves back from the first separation suction pad 200. Similarly, upon receiving the wafer W, the first separation suction pad 200 starts descending in response to a detection signal from the pressure switch, and returns to its original peeling position. After the delivery suction pad 300 moves back, the turning rotary actuator 278 is then driven, and the turning arm 294 rotates 180°. As a result, the wafer W is transferred to a position above the shuttle conveyor 312. Note that instead of the pressure switch, a sensor, device, or the like having a similar function, such as a touch sensor, may be used.

[0059] Since the wafer W transferred above the shuttle conveyor 312 is perpendicular to the shuttle conveyor 312, after transfer, the direction-changing rotary actuator 292 is driven, and the swivel arm 294 rotates 90° around the rotation axis 290. As a result, the wafer W is positioned horizontally at a predetermined height from the shuttle conveyor 312.

[0060] After the direction-changing rotary actuator 292 is driven, the pad advancing / retracting cylinder 298 is driven, and the delivery suction pad 300 advances a predetermined distance toward the shuttle conveyor 312. As a result, the wafer W is placed on the shuttle conveyor 312. Once the wafer W is placed on the shuttle conveyor 312, the driving of the delivery suction pad 300 is stopped. Then, the pad advancing / retracting cylinder 298 is driven, and the delivery suction pad 300 retreats from the shuttle conveyor 312.

[0061] After the wafer W has been delivered, the delivery suction pad 300 returns to its original delivery position by performing the reverse operation of the above. Meanwhile, the shuttle conveyor 312 to which the wafer W has been delivered is driven by a driving means (not shown) to transport the delivered wafer W to the next process. The driving of this single wafer peeling unit 100 is automatically controlled by a control device (not shown), and each component device operates based on a drive signal output from this control device.

[0062] Next, a detailed description will be given of the method of peeling wafers in the single wafer peeling section 100. Before starting, the first slide table 140 on which the peeling unit 150 is installed is positioned at one end (the lower end in FIG. 2) of the first guide rail 136 (this position is called the peeling operation start position). On the other hand, the second slide table 240 on which the delivery device 118 is installed is positioned at the other end (the upper end in FIG. 2) of the second guide rail 236.

[0063] The wafers W multi-cut by the wire saw are set on the workpiece holder 122 provided in the hot water bath 112. As a result, the slice bases S to which the wafers W are bonded are immersed in the hot water 120 stored in the hot water bath 112. The wafers W may be set manually by an operator, or may be automatically transported to the workpiece holder 122 by a manipulator (not shown) and set therein.

[0064] When the wafer W is set in the hot water bath 112, the control device first drives the second feed motor 248 to move the second slide table 240 downward in FIG. 2. Next, the second slide table 240 is positioned at a predetermined starting position for the transfer operation. Then, when the second slide table 240 is positioned at the starting position for the transfer operation, the peeling operation of the wafer W is started.

[0065] Next, the control device synchronously drives the first feed motor 148 and the second feed motor 248 to move the first slide table 140 and the second slide table 240 forward (moving them upward in FIG. 2). A non-contact position sensor 214S is provided on the pad support plate 198 of the peeling device 114 provided on the first slide table 140, and the position sensor 214S is activated when the distance to the edge face of the wafer W reaches a predetermined distance.

[0066] By inputting an activation signal from the position sensor 214S, the control device stops driving the first feed motor 148 and the second feed motor 248 and stops the first slide table 140 and the second slide table 240. As a result, the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 of the peeling device 114 provided on the first slide table 140 come into contact with the edge surface of the wafer W. The control device drives the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 that are in contact with the edge surface of the wafer W, causing the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 to suck and hold the wafer W.

[0067] FIG. 10 is an enlarged side view of the main part showing the details of the peeling suction unit, and FIG. 11 is an enlarged front view. The edge of the wafer W serves as the reference surface of the anti-fall plate 214. The edge of the wafer W serves as the reference surface. The anti-fall plate 214 is made of resin and protects the surface. The opposite side is made of a stainless steel plate 214-2 to ensure the flatness of the contact plate 214-1. The surface of the resin contact plate 214-1, which comes into contact with the wafer W, is preferably treated with a water-repellent finish such as a fluororesin finish, as described above. It is even more preferable that the water-repellent surface is not a mirror finish but has a surface roughness sufficient to prevent the wafer W from adsorbing. The first peeling suction pad 200 is positioned so that its central axis coincides with the central axis of the wafer W, and the second peeling suction pad 201 is positioned below the first peeling suction pad 200. The first peeling suction pad 200 is a flat vacuum pad suitable for transporting workpieces with flat surfaces and has a stronger suction force than the second peeling suction pad 201. The second separation suction pad 201 is a bellows-type vacuum suction pad that expands and contracts in the axial direction.

[0068] The wafer W is bonded to the slicing base S with an adhesive, and is positioned so that it faces up relative to the mounting plate M. The wafer W is then set in the workpiece holder 122 of the hot water bath 112. The adhesive bonding the wafer W to the slicing base S is sufficiently softened by being immersed in the hot water 120. An air supply mechanism is provided next to the slicing base S, and air nozzles 80 and 81 are provided on both lower sides of the wafer W. The air nozzles 80 and 81 are installed to blow air from below to above the two sides of the wafer W, i.e., to spray air forcefully. A water supply nozzle (not shown) is provided vertically above the wafer W near the center of the wafer.

[0069] The first and second separation suction pads 200, 201 suction-hold the wafer W as follows: First, the second separation suction pad 201 abuts against the edge surface of the wafer W. The second separation suction pad 201 is arranged so as to be located below the central axis of the wafer W, and is expandable and contractible in the axial direction, for example, like a bellows-type vacuum suction pad, so that even if the surface of the object to be suctioned is inclined to some extent from a plane perpendicular to the axial direction, the suction portion of the suction pad can tilt to some extent to follow the surface of the object to be suctioned.

[0070] 12, the second separation suction pad 200 can reliably suction the wafer W by adjusting the suction portion thereof to the inclination of the wafer W, and can pull the base of the wafer W toward the stopper plate 214, centering on the vicinity of the adhesive portion of the wafer W. This allows the separation operation to be started reliably and efficiently.

[0071] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the action of the peeling operation. When peeling one wafer W, air is blown from air nozzles 80 and 81 to both sides of the wafer W from the bottom to the top as shown by arrows F and G.

[0072] Specifically, for the first wafer W (the leftmost wafer W to be peeled in Figure 12), air is blown at least between the first and second wafers. For efficient peeling, it is desirable to also blow air between the second and third wafers and between the third and fourth wafers. However, since the adhesive bonding the wafers W to the slice bases S is immersed in the hot water 120 and is sufficiently thermally softened while several wafers are being peeled, the number of wafers to which air is blown simultaneously may be reduced as the peeling operation progresses.

[0073] On the other hand, by supplying hot water or water from near the center vertically above the wafer W as shown by arrow H, water is supplied from the center, ensuring a constant gap in the center. In addition, by blowing air from both sides of the wafer W, the gaps on both sides can be kept balanced, allowing for a clean separation between the wafers.

[0074] In other words, supplying air removes the water film, prevents the wafers W from sticking together due to the surface tension of the water, and prevents the next wafer W from being lifted when one wafer W is lifted. Also, by blowing air onto multiple wafers, particularly between the first and second wafers and the second and third wafers, it is possible to prevent the next standby wafer W (second wafer) after the lifted wafer W from sticking to the next standby wafer W (third wafer). This improves efficiency in continuing the peeling operation sequentially.

[0075] After the second separation suction pad 201 has pulled the wafer W toward the stopper plate 214, the first separation suction pad 200, which is a flat vacuum pad with a flat surface, firmly suctions the central axis of the wafer W. Therefore, the wafer W can be handled in a short time in a state suitable for transporting the wafer W, and there is no risk of the wafer W dropping during transport.

[0076] Next, the control device drives the swing rotary actuator 160 to swing the swing frame 154 back and forth, thereby swinging the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 back and forth (in the direction along the axis of the wafer). The first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 swing around the vicinity of the bonded portion between the wafer W and the slice base S as the swing center. Therefore, the wafer W is swung multiple times by the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201, and is easily peeled off from the slice base S. Furthermore, the back and forth swinging during peeling allows the wafer W to be peeled off from its base, enabling efficient peeling as a whole.

[0077] The control device stops driving the swinging rotary actuator 160 when the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 have been swung a predetermined number of times. Next, the control device drives the lifting rotary actuator 204 to rotate the arms 190, 192 upward, thereby moving the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 upward. At this time, the central axis of the wafer W is firmly fixed by the first peeling suction pad 200.

[0078] The wafer W sucked and held by the first peeling suction pad 200 is guided by a pressing plate 214-1 made of resin (e.g., fluororesin) with good sliding properties, and passes through a slit 216a (FIG. 3) of a double-picking prevention plate 216 fixed to the top of the stopper plate 214. This prevents double-picking.

[0079] That is, even if the next wafer W to be peeled adheres to the wafer W that is mainly held by suction on the first peeling suction pad 200, the adhered wafer W is peeled off when passing through the slit 216a, so that only one wafer W that is being held by suction on the first peeling suction pad 200 can be taken out at any one time.

[0080] Furthermore, a wafer that fails to pass through the slit 216a and falls is prevented from falling forward by the anti-fall plate 214, and is therefore reliably collected the next time it is peeled off. At this time, the edge side of the wafer W abuts against the pressing plate 214-1 made of resin (e.g., fluororesin) with very high surface lubricity, and is therefore prevented from being scratched.

[0081] The first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201, which have moved upward, stop at the transfer position indicated by the dashed line in Fig. 8. At the transfer position, the transfer suction pad 300 of the transfer device 118 is on standby, and the wafer W, whose edge surface is suction-held by the first peeling suction pad 200 which has firmly sucked the central axis of the wafer W, is positioned coaxially with the axis of the transfer suction pad 300.

[0082] The delivery position is a position where the delivery suction pad 300 is approximately horizontal (the position where the swivel arm 294 is horizontal in FIG. 8) and the wafer W remains vertical, so it is a position that is less susceptible to the influence of wafer bending due to gravity. Furthermore, after delivery, the suction pads 200, 201 can immediately return to the operation of peeling off the next wafer W, allowing efficient sequential peeling operations to be continued.

[0083] When the first and second separation suction pads 200, 201 stop at the predetermined transfer positions, the control device drives the pad advancing / retracting cylinder 298 to advance the transfer suction pad 300 a predetermined distance toward the wafer W. As a result, the transfer suction pad 300 comes into close contact with the back surface of the end surface of the wafer W sucked by the first separation suction pad 200. Then, the back surface of the wafer W as well as the end surface on the side of the first separation suction pad 200 are sucked and held by the transfer suction pad 300.

[0084] A pressure switch (not shown) provided on the transfer suction pad 300 detects that the wafer W has been sucked and held by the transfer suction pad 300. This detection signal then causes the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 to release their vacuum suction, i.e., air is allowed to flow in. The transfer suction pad 300 is a flat vacuum pad with a flat surface, like the first peeling suction pad 200, and firmly sucks the central axis of the wafer W. As a result, the wafer W is transferred from the first peeling suction pad 200 to the transfer suction pad 300, and the transfer suction pad 300 firmly sucks the central axis of the wafer W. This allows the wafer W to be handled in a state suitable for transportation, and eliminates the risk of it dropping during transport.

[0085] Next, the control device drives the pad advancing / retracting cylinder 298 to retract the delivery suction pad 300 from the first peeling suction pad 200. As the delivery suction pad 300 retracts, the control device drives the lifting rotary actuator 204 to rotate the arms 190, 192 downward, and moves the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 downward to return them to their original peeling positions.

[0086] Meanwhile, after driving the pad advancing / retracting cylinder 298, the control device drives the turning rotary actuator 278 to rotate the turning arm 294 by 180° and transfer the wafer W to a position above the shuttle conveyor 312. After transfer, the control device drives the direction changing rotary actuator 292. The turning arm 294 rotates by 90° around the rotation shaft 290.

[0087] As a result, both end surfaces of the wafer W become parallel to the shuttle conveyor 312. The control device drives the pad advancing / retracting cylinder 298 to advance the delivery suction pad 300 toward the shuttle conveyor 312. As a result, the wafer W is placed on the shuttle conveyor 312. Next, the control device stops driving the delivery suction pad 300 and delivers the wafer W to the shuttle conveyor 312.

[0088] After stopping the drive of the delivery suction pad 300, the control device drives the pad advance / retract cylinder 298 to move the delivery suction pad 300 back from the shuttle conveyor 312, and also drives the shuttle conveyor 312 to transport the wafer W to the next process. After driving the pad advance / retract cylinder 298, the control device also drives the direction changing rotary actuator 292 and the turning rotary actuator 278 to return the delivery suction pad 300 to its original delivery position.

[0089] By the time the delivery suction pad 300 returns to the delivery position, the suction pads 200 and 201 have already performed the peeling operation of the next wafer W, completing the peeling operation of the second wafer W. Therefore, the peeling operation is continued in an efficient manner with less wasted time.

[0090] That is, the transfer of the first wafer W is completed through a series of steps, and the suction pads 200, 201 are returned to their original peeling positions as the transfer suction pad 300 retracts. Then, the control device synchronously drives the first feed motor 148 and the second feed motor 248 to move the first slide table 140 and the second slide table 240 forward a predetermined amount. This causes the first and second peeling suction pads 200, 201 to abut against the edge surface of the second wafer W to be peeled. The control device peels the second wafer W in the same manner as described above.

[0091] In this manner, the wafers W bonded to the slice bases S are sequentially peeled off and transported to the next process, completing one cycle of peeling work. Next, the transport unit 310 receives the wafers W peeled off and separated in the wafer separation unit 100, and transports them to the next single wafer cleaning unit 350. The transport unit 310 is equipped with a shuttle conveyor 312, which transports the wafers W to the single wafer cleaning unit 350.

[0092] The single wafer cleaning unit 350 cleans the wafers W one by one separated by the wafer separation unit 100. The single wafer cleaning unit 350 is composed of a single wafer brush cleaning unit 352, a single wafer pre-rinse unit 354, and a single wafer rinse unit 356.

[0093] FIG. 13 is a side view showing the configuration of the single wafer cleaning section 350. The single wafer brush cleaning section 352 has a cleaning tank with a chamber structure (not shown). As shown in FIG. 13, the cleaning tank is equipped with a pair of rotating brushes 378, 378, a pair of cleaning liquid nozzles 380, 380 for spraying cleaning liquid, two pairs of roller conveyors 382, ​​382, ​​382, ​​382 for transporting wafers, and a pair of air knife nozzles 384, 384 for draining the liquid.

[0094] In the single wafer brush cleaning section 352, the wafers W transported by the shuttle conveyor 312 of the transport section 310 are brush-cleaned by rotating brushes 378, 378 while cleaning solution is sprayed from cleaning solution nozzles 380, 380 onto the back and front surfaces of the wafers W. After cleaning, compressed air is sprayed from air knife nozzles 384, 384 to drain the cleaning solution so as not to carry it over to the next process. Then, the wafers W after brush cleaning are transported by a roller conveyor 382 to the single wafer pre-rinse section 354 for the next process.

[0095] The single wafer pre-rinse unit 354 has a configuration similar to that of the single wafer brush cleaning unit 352. In the single wafer pre-rinse unit 354, the wafers W transported by the roller conveyor 382 of the single wafer brush cleaning unit 352 are brush-cleaned with a rotating brush while pre-rinse liquid is sprayed from a pre-rinse liquid nozzle onto the backside and front sides of the wafers. After cleaning, compressed air is sprayed to drain the liquid. Then, the wafers W after brush cleaning are transported by the roller conveyor to the single wafer rinsing unit 356 for the next process.

[0096] The single wafer rinse unit 356 has a configuration similar to that of the single wafer brush cleaning unit 352. In the single wafer rinse unit 356, the wafer W is brush-cleaned by a rotating brush while a rinse liquid is sprayed from a rinse liquid nozzle onto the back surface of the wafer transported by the roller conveyor of the single wafer rinse cleaning unit. After cleaning, the wafer W is transported to the next detection unit 400 by the roller conveyor.

[0097] The detection unit 400 detects whether or not there are cracks, chips, or residual adhesive on each wafer W after cleaning, and measures the thickness of each wafer. The detection unit 400 is composed of a transport unit 402 for transporting the wafer W after cleaning in the single wafer cleaning unit 350 to a predetermined receiving position, a rotation drive unit for lifting the wafer W transported to the receiving position to a predetermined detection position and rotating it, a thickness measurement unit for measuring the thickness of the wafer W rotated by the rotation drive unit, a defective wafer detection unit for detecting cracks, chips, or residual adhesive on the wafer W rotated by the rotation drive unit, and a delivery unit for delivering the wafer W after inspection to the wafer transport robot of the next recovery unit 500.

[0098] 14 is a plan view showing the configuration of the transfer unit 402, which includes a round belt conveyor 411. The round belt conveyor 411 is connected to the terminal end of the single wafer cleaning section 350. A pair of guide members 411a, 411a are disposed on both sides of the round belt conveyor 411, and the wafers W are guided by the guide members 411a, 411a so as to move in a straight line.

[0099] 14, five positioning pins 412 are arranged in an arc at the end position of the round belt conveyor 411, and when a wafer W conveyed by the round belt conveyor 411 comes into contact with the positioning pins 412, 412, the wafer W is positioned at a predetermined receiving position. When the wafer W comes into contact with the positioning pins 412, 412, a sensor (not shown) is activated, and the operation of the round belt conveyor 411 is stopped. After the detection is completed, the wafer W is transferred to the wafer transport robot 508 of the recovery unit 500.

[0100] 15 is a plan view showing the configuration of the recovery unit 500, and wafer recovery units 502A and 502B are each equipped with an upper and lower two-tier cassette holder (not shown). The cassette holder is supported by a cassette positioning mechanism (not shown) so that it can move up and down freely, and wafer recovery cassettes 510A and 510B for recovering wafers W are set in each of these cassette holders, two by two.

[0101] Like the wafer recovery units 502A and 502B, the defective wafer recovery unit 504 and the adhesive remaining wafer recovery unit 506 each have a cassette holder (not shown), which is supported by a cassette positioning mechanism (not shown) so that it can move up and down freely. A defective wafer recovery cassette 512 for recovering defective wafers W and an adhesive remaining wafer recovery cassette 514 for recovering wafers W with adhesive remaining are set in this cassette holder.

[0102] Furthermore, when one wafer W is stored, a cassette positioning mechanism (not shown) is driven to raise the wafer recovery cassette 510A by one partition level. The wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment is configured as described above. All of the devices constituting this wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus 1 are driven and controlled by a control device (not shown), and operate based on drive signals output by this control device.

[0103] The wafer delaminating and cleaning apparatus 1 described above is for delaminating and cleaning sliced ​​wafers cut by a normal cutting method (a method in which only one ingot is cut at a time). Wafers W in a batch state cut by a wire saw are transported to the wafer delaminating and cleaning apparatus 1 by a transport device (not shown).

[0104] The wafer W is then loaded onto a lifter (not shown) provided in the wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus 1. The wafer W loaded onto the lifter is first transported by the lifter to the rough cleaning section 10. There, the wafer W is shower-cleaned to remove slurry that adhered during cutting. The shower cleaning in the rough cleaning section 10 is performed while the wafer is still loaded onto the lifter, and after the shower cleaning is completed, the wafer is transported to the wafer peeling single-wafer section 100.

[0105] The wafers W transported to the single wafer separation section 100 are first turned upside down by an inversion mechanism provided in the lifter (after the wafers W are arranged so that they are on the upper side relative to the mounting plate M), and then set in the workpiece holder 122 of the hot water bath 112. The wafers W set in the workpiece holder 122 are separated one by one from the slice base S by the first and second separation suction pads 200, 201, and the separated wafers W are sequentially transferred to the shuttle conveyor 312 of the transfer section 310. Then, the wafers W are transported to the single wafer cleaning section 350 by this shuttle conveyor 312.

[0106] The above operation is performed for each wafer W peeled off from the slice base S, and the operation is completed when all the wafers W are stored in the cassette. After completion, each device returns to the state before startup.

[0107] The wafer separating and cleaning apparatus 1 can separate and clean sliced ​​wafers cut by a multi-cutting method (a method in which different types of ingots are cut simultaneously in one cutting). The following describes the case where the wafers cut by the multi-cutting method are separated and cleaned.

[0108] Wafers cut by the multi-cutting method must be collected by type, and are therefore processed as follows: The process up to the time of transport to the wafer separation unit 100 is the same as that for wafers cut by the normal cutting method described above.

[0109] When the multi-cut wafers W are set on the workpiece holder 122 of the wafer separation unit 100, a partition plate (not shown) of a separation device is set between the lots of wafers W. Then, once the partition plate is set, the separation operation is started by the first separation suction pad 200. The separation operation is first performed on the wafers W of the first lot, and the separated wafers W are sequentially transferred onto the shuttle conveyor 312 of the transfer unit 310.

[0110] When all the wafers W in the first lot have been peeled off, a first partition plate (not shown) inserted between the first lot and the second lot is detected. When the first partition plate is detected, the control device determines that the wafers to be peeled off thereafter are wafers W in the second lot. This makes it possible to separate the wafers by lot, and to collect the wafers without mixing different types of wafers.

[0111] After the separation of all the wafers W in the second lot is completed, the second partition plate (not shown) inserted between the second and third lots is detected, and the control device detects the second partition plate and determines that the wafers to be separated thereafter are wafers W in the third lot.

[0112] As described above, in the single wafer peeling unit 100, when the edge faces of the wafers are sucked and held by the peeling suction pads and peeled off one by one, air is blown from the air nozzles, ensuring a well-balanced gap between the wafers in the batch, preventing damage to the wafers and allowing only one wafer to be lifted up efficiently. After that, the processes in the transfer unit 310, single wafer cleaning unit 350, detection unit 400 and recovery unit 500 can proceed smoothly, providing an efficient wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus 1.

[0113] [Appendix A] The present invention also includes the following. (Appendix A, Section 1) A wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus in which a batch of wafers cut simultaneously into multiple pieces are peeled one by one from a slice base in a wafer peeling and cleaning unit to separate the wafers, and the peeled wafers are transported to a single wafer cleaning unit to be cleaned, and after cleaning, are collected in a cassette in a collection unit, The wafer separation unit comprises: a hot water tank formed in a rectangular box shape in which hot water is stored; a workpiece holder that is installed in the hot water bath and holds the wafer to be peeled; a suction pad for peeling that suction-holds one end surface of the wafer; a first guide rail disposed along the longitudinal direction of the hot water tank; a first feed motor that moves the peeling suction pad along the first guide rail in the longitudinal direction of the hot water tank; a rotary actuator for raising and lowering the peeling suction pad vertically upward; an air nozzle provided on a side surface of the wafer; and when the edge faces of the wafers set in the hot water bath are suction-held by the suction pad for peeling and the wafers are peeled one by one, air is blown onto the side faces of the wafers by the air nozzle.

[0114] (Appendix A, Section 2) The wafer peeling and cleaning device according to Appendix A1, wherein the air nozzles are provided on both sides of the wafer.

[0115] (Appendix A, Section 3) The wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus according to Appendix A 1 or 2, wherein the air nozzle is provided below the wafer.

[0116] (Appendix A, Section 4) The wafer peeling and cleaning device according to any one of appendix A1 to A3, wherein the air nozzle blows and supplies air from the lower side to the upper side of the wafer.

[0117] (Appendix A, Section 5) The wafer peeling and cleaning device according to any one of appendix A1 to A4, wherein the air nozzle supplies air to a batch of wafers when peeling one wafer.

[0118] (Appendix A, Section 6) The wafer peeling and cleaning device according to any one of items 1 to 5 of Appendix A, wherein the air nozzle blows and supplies air at least between the first and second wafers when peeling one wafer.

[0119] (Appendix A, Section 7) The wafer peeling and cleaning device according to any one of items 1 to 6 of Appendix A, wherein the air nozzle blows and supplies air between the first and second wafers and between the second and third wafers when peeling one wafer.

[0120] (Appendix A, Section 8) The wafer delaminating and cleaning apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 7 of Appendix A, characterized in that a water supply nozzle is provided vertically above the wafer, and hot water or water is supplied vertically above the wafer from near the center when the wafers are delaminated one by one.

[0121] (Appendix A, Section 9) The wafer delaminating and cleaning apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 8 of Appendix A, further comprising a swing rotary actuator that swings the delaminating suction pad in a direction along the axis of the wafer, and driving the swing rotary actuator to swing the delaminating suction pad, thereby delaminating the wafer from the slice base.

[0122] (Appendix A, paragraph 10) The wafer separating and cleaning apparatus according to Appendix A-9, characterized in that the center of the oscillation is set near the adhesive portion between the slice base and the wafer.

[0123] The wafer separating and cleaning apparatus according to the present invention can solve the following problems of the invention described in Patent Document 1. In the invention described in Patent Document 1, the wafer is swung in the direction along the axis, which is desirable in terms of efficient wafer separation, but when the wafer is lifted in the wafer separation section, the next wafer is also lifted. The next waiting wafer after the lifted wafer may come into close contact with the next waiting wafer, which may cause damage to the wafer, such as cracks, chips, and microcracks.

[0124] According to the wafer delaminating and cleaning device of the present invention, air nozzles are provided on the side of the wafers, and when the wafers are delaminate-held by suction on the edge faces with delamination suction pads and delaminated one by one, the air nozzles blow air, thereby ensuring a well-balanced gap between wafers in a batch. Therefore, when a wafer is lifted, the next wafer is not lifted at the same time, and damage to the wafers is prevented, and only one wafer can be lifted efficiently.

[0125] [Appendix B] The present invention further includes the following. (Appendix B Section 1) A wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus in which a batch of wafers cut simultaneously is peeled one by one from a slice base in a wafer peeling and cleaning section, the peeled wafers are transferred to a transfer device at a transfer position, the transfer device transports the wafers to a single wafer cleaning section for single wafer cleaning, and after cleaning, the wafers are recovered into a cassette in a recovery section, the wafer separation unit including a separation suction pad that suction-holds the edge surface of the wafer, a lifting rotary actuator that moves the separation suction pad up and down vertically, a tilting stopper plate provided on a support plate on which the lifting rotary actuator is installed, and a double-piece taking prevention plate having a slit formed in an upper part of the tilting stopper plate and fixed to the tilting stopper plate; the transfer device including a transfer suction pad that receives the wafer peeled off at the wafer separation unit from the peeling suction pad, and a pressure switch that detects that the wafer is sucked and held on the transfer suction pad; a control device that, in response to a detection signal from the pressure switch, releases the vacuum suction of the peeling suction pad, and starts the retraction of the delivery suction pad from the peeling suction pad and the descent of the peeling suction pad; A wafer peeling and cleaning device comprising:

[0126] (Appendix B Section 2) The wafer peeling and cleaning device according to Appendix B 1, wherein the anti-fall plate is a resin pressing plate provided on the edge side of the wafer.

[0127] (Appendix B Section 3) The wafer peeling and cleaning device according to Appendix B2, characterized in that a stainless steel plate made of stainless steel is provided on the opposite side of the pressing plate.

[0128] (Appendix B Section 4) The wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3 in Appendix B, wherein the wafer held by suction on the peeling suction pad is guided by the pressing plate, passes through the slit, and stops at the delivery position.

[0129] (Appendix B Section 5) The wafer separating and cleaning device according to any one of appendix B-1 to B-4, wherein the delivery suction pad and the separation suction pad are flat vacuum pads.

[0130] (Appendix B Section 6) The wafer separating and cleaning device according to any one of Appendix B items 1 to 5, wherein the width of the slit is 1.1 to 1.5 times the thickness of the wafer.

[0131] (Appendix B Section 7) The wafer delaminating and cleaning device according to any one of Appendix B items 1 to 6, further comprising a swivel arm having the delivery suction pad at its tip, and the delivery position is a position where the swivel arm is horizontal.

[0132] (Appendix B Section 8) The wafer separating and cleaning apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 7 in Appendix B, wherein, at the transfer position, the wafer is positioned coaxially with the axis of the transfer suction pad.

[0133] The wafer separating and cleaning apparatus according to the present invention can solve the following problems of the invention described in Patent Document 1. That is, in the system described in Patent Document 1, if the speed at which the peeling suction pad is moved upward after sucking the wafer with the peeling suction pad is increased, the surface of the wafer may be damaged. Also, at the transfer position, the transfer suction pad is retracted from the peeling suction pad position before returning to its original peeling position, which delays the timing at which the peeling operation begins, resulting in wasted time in sequentially performing the peeling operation. Furthermore, because the timing at which the wafer is transferred to the transfer suction pad is unclear, if the timing at which the peeling suction pad is moved downward is too early, there is a risk of damaging the surface of the wafer or causing damage such as cracks, chips, chipping, and microcracks. According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus that improves efficiency overall by shortening the time from the peeling operation to the transfer of the wafer to the single wafer cleaning section by the delivery device without damaging the wafer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0134] 1...wafer peeling and cleaning device, 10...rough cleaning section, 12...rough cleaning device, 100...wafer peeling and single wafer section, 310...transport section, 350...single wafer cleaning section, 400...detection section, 500...collection section 112...hot water tank, 114...peeling device, 118...delivery device, 120 hot water, 122...workpiece holder, 312...shuttle conveyor, 352...single wafer brush cleaning section, 354...single wafer pre-rinse section, 356...single wafer rinse section, 402...transport unit, 508...wafer transport robot, 136...first guide rail, 138...linear guide, 140...first slide table, 142...nut member, 144...threaded rod, 148...first feed motor, 150... Peeling unit 152...bearing block, 154...oscillating frame, 160...oscillating rotary actuator, 162...drive gear, 164...driven gear, 168...rotating shaft, 170...bearing member, 172...support plate, 174...rotating plate, 176...connecting rod, 178, 180, 194, 196, 210, 212...pin, 182...bearing unit, 186, 188...rotating shaft, 190, 192...arm, 198...pad Support plate, 200...first peeling suction pad, 201...second peeling suction pad, 202...support plate, 204...lifting rotary actuator, 206...rotating plate, 208...connecting rod, 214...anti-fall plate, 214a...passage, 214S...position sensor, 214-1...pressing plate, 214-2...stainless steel plate, 80, 81...air nozzle, 216...double-picking prevention plate, 216a...slit, 222...drive unit, 240...second slide table, 248...second feed motor, 236...second guide rail, 274...support column, 276...support frame, 278...rotary actuator for turning, 280...drive gear, 284...turning shaft, 282...driven gear, 286...bearing unit, 288...turning frame, 290...rotating shaft, 292...rotary actuator for changing direction, 294...turning arm, 296...support plate, 298...pad advancing / retreating cylinder, 300...delivery suction pad, 378...rotating brush, 380...cleaning liquid nozzle, 382...roller conveyor, 384...air knife nozzle, 402...Transport unit 411...round belt conveyor, 411a...guide member, 412...positioning pin, 502, 502A, 502B... wafer recovery units, 510A, 510B... wafer recovery cassettes, 504... defective wafer recovery unit, 506... adhesive remaining wafer recovery unit, 514... adhesive remaining wafer recovery cassette, M...Mounting plate, S...Slice base, W...Wafer

Claims

1. A wafer peeling and cleaning apparatus for peeling wafers adhered to a slice base one by one from the slice base and cleaning the wafers, a first peeling suction pad; a second peeling suction pad arranged closer to the slice base than the first peeling suction pad and extending and contracting in the axial direction; the second suction pad for separation extends toward and contacts the portion of the wafer adhered to the slice base, tilts in accordance with the inclination of the wafer, and adsorbs to and pulls the portion of the wafer; The wafer separating and cleaning apparatus is characterized in that the first separating suction pad suction-holds the wafer attracted by the second separating suction pad.

2. 2. The wafer separating and cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second separating suction pad is a bellows type vacuum suction pad.

3. 3. The wafer separating and cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first separating suction pad is a flat vacuum pad having a flat surface and a stronger suction force than the second separating suction pad.

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