Tape mounter and tape mounting method

Abstract

To prevent an adhesive layer from remaining on a ring frame after a dicing tape is peeled off from the ring frame.SOLUTION: The tape mounter for forming a work set by sticking a dicing tape T having an ultraviolet-curing adhesive layer on one surface to a wafer and a ring frame includes a holding table for holding the wafer and the ring frame, an adhesion unit for sticking the dicing tape T to the wafer and the ring frame, a cutting unit 30 for cutting the dicing tape T along a circular cutting line CL by circulating a blade 31, and a peeling mechanism for peeling a part outside the cutting line CL of the dicing tape T from the ring frame.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tape mounter and a tape mounting method for forming a work set by attaching a dicing tape to a wafer and a ring frame and integrating the two. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in the manufacturing process of semiconductor chips used in various electronic devices, the surface of a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as a "wafer") is divided into a large number of rectangular areas by dividing lines called streets that are arranged in a grid pattern, and devices such as ICs and LSIs are formed in each rectangular area. Then, the wafer on which a large number of devices have been formed is cut along the dividing lines using a cutting device called a dicer, thereby dividing the wafer into a plurality of semiconductor chips.

[0003] In wafer dividing processing, in order to facilitate the handling of thin wafers and prevent semiconductor chips from scattering, a work set is formed by integrating the disk-shaped wafer and a ring frame arranged around it with dicing tape, and this work set is then set in each processing device to process the wafer.

[0004] A tape mounter is used to attach dicing tape to the wafer and ring frame of such a work set, and there are two types of tape mounters: one that attaches dicing tape cut into a circle to the wafer and ring frame (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and one that attaches the dicing tape to the wafer and ring frame and then cuts the dicing tape into a circle (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-059446 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-060969 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When a method of adhering a dicing tape in a tape mounter is adopted in which the dicing tape is adhered to a wafer and a ring frame and then cut into a circle, the circularly cut portion of the dicing tape is left on the wafer and the ring frame, and the portion of the dicing tape other than the circular portion is peeled off from the ring frame.

[0007] However, when an adhesive tape having an adhesive layer on one side is used as the dicing tape, there is a problem that the adhesive layer remains on the ring frame after the adhesive tape is peeled off from the ring frame.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a tape mounter and a tape mounting method in which no adhesive layer remains on the ring frame after the dicing tape is peeled off from the ring frame. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The invention described in claim 1 is a tape mounter that forms a work set by adhering a dicing tape having an ultraviolet-curable adhesive layer on one side to a wafer and a ring frame having an opening for placing the wafer, and integrating the wafer and the ring frame with the dicing tape, and is characterized by comprising: a holding table that holds at least the ring frame; an adhering unit that adhering the dicing tape, having an area that covers the ring frame held on the holding table, to at least the ring frame; a cutting unit that cuts the dicing tape into a circle by cutting a blade within the width of the ring frame and rotating it around; a UV irradiation unit that irradiates ultraviolet light onto the dicing tape outside the cut line cut by the blade; and a peeling mechanism that peels off the dicing tape outside the cut line cut by the dicing tape from the ring frame.

[0010] The invention of claim 2 is the invention of claim 1, wherein the cutting unit includes a rotation axis whose axis is the center of the ring frame, the blade for cutting the dicing tape, and The device is characterized in that it is equipped with an arm that connects the rotating shaft and the blade, the UV irradiation unit being positioned to the outside of the blade that rotates around the rotating shaft and the arm, and the blade forming a light shielding plate.

[0011] The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that in the invention of claim 2, the outer surface of the blade forms a reflective surface that reflects ultraviolet light.

[0012] The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, 2 or 3, a nozzle is provided for spraying nitrogen gas onto the portion cut by the blade into the dicing tape.

[0013] The invention described in claim 5 is a tape mounting method for forming a work set by adhering a dicing tape having an ultraviolet-curing adhesive on one side to a wafer and a ring frame having an opening for placing the wafer, and integrating the wafer and the ring frame with the dicing tape, and is characterized by comprising: a holding process for holding at least the ring frame on a holding table; an adhering process for adhering the dicing tape having an area that covers the ring frame to at least the ring frame; a cutting process for rotating a blade with its tip cut within the width of the ring frame to cut the dicing tape into a circle; an ultraviolet irradiation process for irradiating ultraviolet rays onto the dicing tape in a portion outside the cut line cut by the blade by rotating the blade with ultraviolet rays using a UV irradiation unit; and a peeling process for peeling off the dicing tape outside the cut line cut by the blade from the ring frame.

[0014] The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 5, the UV irradiation unit is positioned on the outside of the rotating blade, and the blade acts as a light shield to block the ultraviolet rays emitted from the UV irradiation unit from reaching the dicing tape inside the rotating blade, and the ultraviolet rays are irradiated onto the dicing tape outside the rotating blade, thereby carrying out the ultraviolet irradiation process in the cutting process.

[0015] The invention described in claim 7 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 5, the ultraviolet light emitted from the UV irradiation unit is reflected by a reflective surface on the outer surface of the rotating blade, and the ultraviolet light irradiation process is carried out.

[0016] The invention described in claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 5, 6 or 7, during the ultraviolet irradiation process, a nitrogen gas injection process is carried out in which nitrogen is injected from a nozzle into the area where the blade has cut into the dicing tape. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the tape mounting method of claim 5 implemented by the tape mounter of claim 1, in the cutting step, ultraviolet (UV) rays are irradiated from the UV irradiation unit toward the outside of the cut line of the dicing tape cut by the blade, so that the adhesive layer of the dicing tape outside the cut line hardens. Therefore, even if the dicing tape is peeled off from the ring frame except for the cut circular portion in the peeling step, the adhesive layer of the dicing tape does not remain on the ring frame, and defects caused by the adhesive layer remaining on the ring frame are reliably prevented.

[0018] According to the invention of claim 2 or 6, in the ultraviolet irradiation step, the blade functions as a light shielding plate, and in the cutting step, the ultraviolet rays emitted from the UV irradiation unit are blocked from circulating onto the dicing tape inside the blade, so that the ultraviolet rays are efficiently and intensively irradiated onto the dicing tape outside the blade. As a result, the adhesive layer of the dicing tape outside the blade is efficiently hardened by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, and in the peeling step, even if the portion of the dicing tape other than the cut circular portion (the portion outside the blade) is peeled off from the ring frame, the adhesive layer of the dicing tape does not remain on the ring frame.

[0019] According to the invention described in claim 3 or 7, in the ultraviolet irradiation process, the outer surface of the blade functions as a reflective surface, reflecting the ultraviolet rays emitted from the UV irradiation section and blocking the ultraviolet rays from reaching the inside of the blade. Therefore, the adhesive layer on the inside of the dicing tape blade does not harden due to ultraviolet irradiation, and the dicing tape cut into a circle on the inside of the blade is firmly adhered to the ring frame and wafer.

[0020] According to the invention described in claim 4 or 8, in the cutting process, nitrogen gas is sprayed from a nozzle toward the cut line of the dicing tape cut by the blade, so that the adhesive layer outside the cut line of the dicing tape does not come into contact with air, and the hardening of the adhesive layer is not inhibited by oxygen in the air. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a tape mounter according to the present invention; [Figure 2] (a) is an exploded perspective view of the work set, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of (a), and (c) is a perspective view of the work set. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a blade portion of the tape mounter shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a tape mounter showing a holding step in a tape mounting method according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 5] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a tape mounter showing a bonding step in a tape mounting method according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a tape mounter showing a bonding step in a tape mounting method according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a tape mounter showing a bonding step in a tape mounting method according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are side cross-sectional views of a main part of a tape mounter showing a cutting step in the tape mounting method according to the present invention. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are side cross-sectional views of a main part of a tape mounter showing a cutting step in the tape mounting method according to the present invention. [Figure 10] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a tape mounter showing a peeling step in a tape mounting method according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 11] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a tape mounter showing a peeling step in a tape mounting method according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 12] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a tape mounter showing a peeling step in a tape mounting method according to the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] [Tape mounter configuration] First, the overall configuration of the tape mounter according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 are referred to as the "X-axis direction," "Y-axis direction," and "Z-axis direction," respectively.

[0024] The tape mounter 1 shown in Figure 1 is a device that adheres a thin, circular dicing tape T to a thin, disc-shaped wafer W shown in Figure 2 and a ring frame F arranged around it, and then integrates the two into a work set WS shown in Figure 2(c).

[0025] Here, the wafer W is a thin, disk-shaped member made of, for example, single-crystal silicon (Si). The surface (top surface in FIG. 2) of this wafer W is divided into a plurality of rectangular regions by mutually orthogonal dividing lines L1, L2 arranged in a grid pattern, and devices D such as ICs and LSIs are formed in each rectangular region. A thin, circular protective film f for protecting the devices D is attached to the surface of the wafer W.

[0026] Then, as shown in FIG. 2(a), a wafer W having a large number of devices D formed on its surface is placed with its back surface facing downward in the center of a circular opening Fa formed in a ring frame F, and a thin circular dicing tape T is attached to the ring frame F and wafer W from below, thereby forming a work set WS in which the wafer W and ring frame F are integrated by the dicing tape T. The dicing tape T has an area large enough to cover the opening Fa of the ring frame F. In other words, the outer diameter of the dicing tape T is set larger than the inner diameter of the opening Fa of the ring frame F.

[0027] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2(b), a thin circular adhesive tape is used as the dicing tape T, which is made by forming an ultraviolet-curable adhesive layer T2 on one side (the upper side in Fig. 2(b)) of a base material T1 such as PET resin. The ring frame F is made of a metal such as stainless steel (SUS).

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the tape mounter 1 of this embodiment has as its main components a holding table 10 that holds the wafer W and the ring frame F, an adhering unit 20 that adheres a dicing tape T having an area covering the wafer W and ring frame F held on the holding table 10 to the wafer W and ring frame F, a cutting unit 30 that cuts the dicing tape T along a circular cutting line CL (see Figure 3) by cutting a blade 31 within the width of the ring frame F and rotating it, and a peeling mechanism 40 that peels off the portion of the dicing tape T outside the cutting line CL from the ring frame F.

[0029] Here, the configurations of the holding table 10, the adhering unit 20, the cutting unit 30, and the peeling mechanism 40, which constitute the main components of the tape mounter 1, will be described in detail below.

[0030] (holding table) The holding table 10 holds the wafer W and the ring frame F, and as shown in FIG. 4, includes a cylindrical wafer holding portion 10A that is vertically erected at the center of the top surface of a disk-shaped base 11, and a cylindrical frame holding portion 10B that is erected concentrically around the wafer holding portion 10A on the top surface of the base 11. A disk-shaped porous member 10a made of porous ceramic or the like is incorporated in the upper center of the wafer holding portion 10A. The circular upper surface of this porous member 10a forms a holding surface that holds the wafer W, and the porous member 10a is selectively connected to a suction source 12 such as a vacuum pump or an ejector. The ring-shaped upper surface of the frame holding portion 10B forms a holding surface that holds the ring frame F, and this holding surface is also selectively connected to the suction source 12.

[0031] 4, a communication passage 2 is formed vertically at the center of each of the wafer holding portion 10A and the base 11, and multiple communication passages 3 (only two are shown in FIG. 4) are also formed vertically in the frame holding portion 10B. These communication passages 2 and 3 are connected to each other by multiple (the same number as the communication passages 3) horizontal communication passages 4 formed in the base 11 radially outward from the communication passage 2 as the center, and one of these communication passages 4 is connected to a communication passage 5 formed vertically in the base 11. The communication passage 5 is connected to a suction source 12 via a pipe 13, and the pipe 13 is provided with an electromagnetic on-off valve V. Therefore, by opening and closing the on-off valve V, the porous member 10a of the wafer holding portion 10A of the holding table 10 and the holding surface of the frame holding portion 10B can be selectively connected to the suction source 12.

[0032] (adhesion unit) The adhering unit 20 is a unit for adhering dicing tape T to the backside of the wafer W, which is held by suction with its front side (protective film f) facing down on the holding surface of the wafer holding part 10A of the holding table 10, and to the backside of the ring frame F, which is held by suction on the holding surface of the frame holding part 10B, and is equipped with the following components: Note that, for the ring frame F, the upper surface in FIG. 2(a) is referred to as the "front side" and the lower surface as the "back side."

[0033] That is, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, the adhesion unit 20 includes a tape roll 21 on which a strip-shaped dicing tape T is wound, a guide roller 22 that guides the dicing tape T pulled out from the tape roll 21, an adhesion roller 23 that presses the dicing tape T against the wafer W and ring frame F while rotating and moving in the +Y-axis direction (to the right in Figure 4) to adhere the dicing tape T to the wafer W and ring frame F, and a support roller 24 that tensions the dicing tape T pulled out from the tape roll 21 between the guide roller 22 without slack.

[0034] Here, the tape roll 21 is configured by winding the dicing tape T around a core material 21a arranged horizontally and rotatably along the X-axis direction (the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 4) with the adhesive layer T2 (see FIG. 2(b)) facing inward. The core material 21a is provided with a tension adjustment mechanism (not shown) for adjusting the tension of the dicing tape T.

[0035] As shown in Figure 4, the guide roller 22 is rotatably attached to the lower end of a vertical rod 25a that can be raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction (up and down direction) by a lifting mechanism 25, and the dicing tape T that is pulled out diagonally downward from the tape roll 21 is bent by the guide roller 22 and supported in a taut state between it and the support roller 24 without slack.

[0036] In addition, the adhesive roller 23 is rotatably supported at the lower end of a rod 26a that can be raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction (up and down direction) by a lifting mechanism 26 such as an air cylinder, and can be moved horizontally along the Y-axis direction (left and right direction in Figure 4) together with the lifting mechanism 26 by a horizontal movement mechanism 27.

[0037] (Cutting unit) The cutting unit 30 is a unit that cuts the dicing tape T along a circular cutting line CL (see Figure 3) by cutting a blade 31 within the width of the ring frame F and rotating it, and as shown in Figure 1, it is equipped with a horizontal lifting arm 33a that is raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction by a lifting mechanism 33 shown in Figure 4 on a vertically standing Z-axis guide block 32.

[0038] A motor 34, which is a rotary drive source, is attached in a vertical position to the tip of the lifting arm 33a, and a rotary shaft (motor shaft) 34a extends vertically downward from the motor 34. The base end of a horizontal arm 35, which rotates in a horizontal plane around the rotary shaft 34a, is attached to the lower end of the motor 34. The rotation axis of the rotary shaft 34a coincides with the center of the opening Fa of the ring frame F.

[0039] A thin, disk-shaped blade 31 is rotatably supported at the tip of the arm 35 via an L-shaped bracket 36. As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the blade 31 is vertically attached to the tip of a horizontal rotation shaft 37, which is rotatably supported at the lower end of the bracket 36. Here, the blade 31 is configured by attaching a ring-shaped cutting edge 31b to the outer periphery of a disk-shaped base 31a, and is positioned above a ring frame F held by a frame holding portion 10B of the holding table 10 (see FIG. 9). Here, the blade 31 functions as a light-blocking plate that blocks light transmission, as described below, and its outer surface (the surface on the near side in FIG. 3) forms a reflective surface. The blade 31 may be an elongated parallelogram.

[0040] As will be described later, dicing tape T is attached to the backside of wafer W held on the holding surface of wafer holding portion 10A of holding table 10 and to the backside of ring frame F held on the holding surface of frame holding portion 10B. With cutting edge 31b of blade 31 cutting into dicing tape T attached to ring frame F (see FIG. 9), blade 31, which rotates in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 3, rotates (one revolution) in a horizontal plane around rotation axis 37 in the direction of arrow b in FIG. 3 together with arm 35 by motor 34, thereby cutting into a circular shape along cut line CL (see FIG. 3). As shown in FIG. 3, UV irradiation unit 38 and nozzle 39 are disposed on the outer side of blade 31. Note that UV irradiation unit 38 and nozzle 39 are attached to arm 35 so as to rotate along cut line CL together with blade 31, but their attachment structure will not be illustrated or described.

[0041] Here, the UV irradiation unit 38 is mounted obliquely so as to irradiate ultraviolet rays (UV) toward the outside of the cut line CL (see FIG. 3) of the dicing tape T cut by the blade 31. The irradiation area where the ultraviolet rays are irradiated on the dicing tape T has a width from the cut line CL to the outer periphery of the ring frame F, but the ultraviolet rays may be irradiated onto a ring-shaped irradiation area outside the cut line CL. The nozzle 39 is mounted obliquely so as to spray nitrogen gas (N2 gas), which is an inert gas, toward the cut line CL (see FIG. 3) of the dicing tape T cut by the blade 31.

[0042] (peeling mechanism) The peeling mechanism 40 is a mechanism for leaving the circular portion TA cut by the blade 31 of the dicing tape T that has been adhered to the wafer W and ring frame F by the adhering unit 20 on the wafer W and ring frame F, and peeling the other portion TB (the remaining portion in which the circular hole Ta shown in FIG. 1 is formed) from the ring frame F, and is composed of the adhering roller 23 and take-up roll 41 provided in the adhering unit 20. Note that the configuration of the adhering roller 23 has been described above, so only the configuration of the take-up roll 41 will be described here.

[0043] That is, the take-up roll 41 takes up the dicing tape T onto a core material 41a that is arranged horizontally and rotatably along the X-axis direction (the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 4), with the adhesive layer T2 (see FIG. 2(b)) facing outward, and as the core material 41a is rotated by a rotation mechanism (not shown), the dicing tape T, which has been cut into a circular shape by the cutting unit 30 and thus has a circular hole Ta (see FIG. 1), is taken up onto the core material 41a. The core material 41a of the take-up roll 41 is provided with a tension adjustment mechanism (not shown) for adjusting the tension of the dicing tape T.

[0044] [Tape mounting method] Next, a tape mounting method to be performed in the tape mounter 1 configured as above will be described. The tape mounting method according to the present invention is as follows: 1) Holding process: 2) Pasting process: 3) Cutting process (including ultraviolet irradiation and nitrogen gas injection processes): 4) Peeling process: By carrying out the above steps in this order, the dicing tape T is attached to the wafer W and the ring frame F to form the work set WS shown in Fig. 2(c). Each step will be explained below in order.

[0045] 1) Holding process: In the holding process, as shown in FIG. 4, the wafer W is suction-held with its front surface (protective film f) facing down on the holding surface of the wafer holding portion 10A of the holding table 10, and the ring frame F is suction-held with its front surface facing down on the holding surface of the frame holding portion 10B.

[0046] That is, when a wafer W is placed with its front surface (protective film f) facing down on the holding surface of wafer holding portion 10A of holding table 10 and a ring frame F is placed with its front surface facing down on the holding surface of frame holding portion 10B, on-off valve V opens, connecting porous member 10a of wafer holding portion 10A and the holding surface of frame holding portion 10B to suction source 12. Then, negative pressure generated in suction source 12 is transmitted to porous member 10a of wafer holding portion 10A via piping 13 and communicating paths 5, 4, and 2, and also to the holding surface of frame holding portion 10B via piping 13 and communicating paths 5, 4, and 3, so that the wafer W placed on the holding surface of wafer holding portion 10A is held by suction by the holding surface, and the ring frame F placed on the holding surface of frame holding portion 10B is held by suction by the holding surface.

[0047] 4, in this holding step, the guide roller 22 and the adhesive roller 23 are positioned above the wafer W and the ring frame F by the lifting mechanisms 25 and 26, respectively, and the dicing tape T unwound from the tape roll 21 is stretched horizontally without slack above the wafer W and the ring frame F by the guide roller 22, the adhesive roller 23, and the support roller 24. Also, in the holding step, the blade 31 is moved in the +Z-axis direction (upward) by the lifting mechanism 33 of the cutting unit 30, and waits above the horizontally stretched dicing tape T. In this state, the adhesive layer T2 (see FIG. 2(b)) of the dicing tape T is located on the lower surface side of the dicing tape T and faces the back surfaces of the wafer W and the ring frame F.

[0048] 2) Pasting process: The adhering process is a process of adhering dicing tape T to the back surface of wafer W, which is suction-held on the holding surface of wafer holding portion 10A of holding table 10, and the back surface of ring frame F, which is suction-held on the holding surface of frame holding portion 10B. In this adhering process, as shown in Fig. 5, rod 25a and guide roller 22 are lowered by lifting mechanism 25 to press down a portion of dicing tape T. Then, as shown in Fig. 6, adhering roller 23 is pressed down by rod 26a of lifting mechanism 26, and a portion of dicing tape T is pressed against a portion of ring frame F by adhering roller 23.

[0049] From the above state, the adhesion roller 23 presses the dicing tape T against the ring frame F and the wafer W, and the horizontal movement mechanism 27 moves the dicing tape T horizontally while rolling from the initial position shown by the chain line in Fig. 7 in the +Y-axis direction (to the right in Fig. 7) to the position shown by the solid line. Then, the adhesive layer T2 (see Fig. 2(b)) of the dicing tape T adheres the dicing tape T to the back surface of the wafer W and the back surface of the ring frame F.

[0050] 3) Cutting process (including ultraviolet irradiation and nitrogen gas injection processes): The cutting process is a process in which the dicing tape T that has been attached to the wafer W and ring frame F in the previous bonding process is cut into a circular shape along the cut line CL (see Figure 3) using the blade 31 of the cutting unit 30.In this cutting process, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the blade 31 is lowered in the -Z axis direction by the lifting mechanism 33, and its cutting edge 31b (see Figure 3) cuts through the dicing tape T within the width of the ring frame F.

[0051] From the above state, when the motor 34 of the cutting unit 30 is started and the arm 35 rotates horizontally around the rotation axis (motor shaft) 34a, the blade 31, rotatably supported via a bracket 36 at the tip of the arm 35, rotates (one rotation) within the width of the ring frame F, and the portion of the dicing tape T attached to the ring frame F is cut into a circular shape along the cut line CL (see FIG. 3). At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the UV irradiation unit 38, which rotates together with the blade 31, irradiates ultraviolet light (UV) toward the outside of the cut line CL of the dicing tape T cut by the blade 31. In addition, the nozzle 39 sprays nitrogen gas (N2 gas), which is an inert gas, toward the cut line CL of the dicing tape T cut by the blade 31.

[0052] As described above, when ultraviolet (UV) rays are irradiated from the UV irradiation unit 38 toward the outside of the cut line CL of the dicing tape T cut by the blade 31, the adhesive layer T2 (see FIG. 2(b)) outside the cut line CL of the dicing tape T is hardened. At this time, the blade 31 functions as a light shield as described above, and blocks the ultraviolet rays emitted from the UV irradiation unit 38 toward the dicing tape T inside the rotating blade 31 during the cutting process, so that only the dicing tape T outside the blade 31 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays.

[0053] At the same time, nitrogen gas is sprayed from the nozzle 39 toward the cut line CL of the dicing tape T cut by the blade 31, so that the adhesive layer T2 exposed to the cut line CL of the dicing tape T does not come into contact with air (oxygen (O2) in the air), and the hardening of the adhesive layer T2 is not inhibited by oxygen in the air.

[0054] 4) Peeling process: The peeling process is a process in which, after the dicing tape T has been cut into a circle along the cut line CL (see Figure 3) in the previous cutting process, the circularly cut portion TA of the dicing tape T is left on the wafer W and the ring frame F, and the other portion TB (the portion where the circular hole Ta shown in Figure 1 is formed) is peeled off from the ring frame F.In this peeling process, first, as shown in Figure 10, the lifting mechanism 33 raises the blade 31 in the +Z axis direction and moves it away from the ring frame F.

[0055] 11, the lifting mechanism 26 raises the adhesive roller 23 in the +Z-axis direction, and the take-up roll 41 rotates in the direction of the arrow. Then, the guide roller 22 and the support roller 24 tilt the portion TB of the dicing tape T excluding the circularly cut portion TA at an angle (elevation angle α), and this portion is lifted upward and peeled off from the ring frame F, leaving the circular portion TA cut by the blade 31 on the wafer W and ring frame F. As a result, the wafer W and ring frame F are integrated by the dicing tape T adhered to them, and a work set WS (see FIG. 2(c)) is formed.

[0056] As described above, in the preceding cutting process, when ultraviolet (UV) rays are irradiated from the UV irradiation unit 38 toward the outside of the cut line CL of the dicing tape T cut by the blade 31, the adhesive layer T2 (see Figure 2(b)) outside the cut line CL of the dicing tape T hardens.Therefore, in the peeling process, after the portion TB of the dicing tape T excluding the cut circular portion TA is peeled from the ring frame F, the adhesive layer T2 of the dicing tape T does not remain on the ring frame F, and defects caused by the adhesive layer T2 remaining on the ring frame F are reliably prevented. In particular, in this embodiment, as described above, the blade 31 functions as a light shielding plate, blocking ultraviolet rays emitted from the UV irradiation unit 38 onto the dicing tape T inside the rotating blade 31 during the cutting process. This means that ultraviolet rays are irradiated only onto the dicing tape T outside the blade 31, and the adhesive layer T2 (see FIG. 2(b)) outside the cut line CL cut by the blade 31 as it cuts into the dicing tape T and rotates is effectively hardened by the ultraviolet rays. In addition, the outer surface of the blade 31 is a reflective surface, which blocks ultraviolet rays and reflects them onto the dicing tape T. This shortens the irradiation time, i.e., makes it possible to increase the rotation speed of the blade 31 and the UV irradiation unit 38 compared to conventional methods, thereby improving productivity.

[0057] In this embodiment, nitrogen gas is sprayed from the nozzle 39 toward the cut line CL of the dicing tape T cut by the blade 31, so that the adhesive layer T2 exposed to the cut line CL of the dicing tape T does not come into contact with air (oxygen (O2) in the air), and the hardening of the adhesive layer T2 is not inhibited by oxygen in the air.

[0058] As described above, when the dicing tape T is peeled off from the ring frame F, leaving the cut circular portion TA on the wafer W and the ring frame F and the remaining portion TB excluding the circular portion TA, as shown in Figure 12, the lifting mechanism 25 raises the guide roller 22 in the +Z axis direction, and with the dicing tape T stretched horizontally and tightly between the guide roller 22 and the support roller 24, the take-up roll 41 rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, thereby winding up the remaining portion TB of the dicing tape T excluding the circular portion TA onto the take-up roll 41, and the same process is repeated thereafter, so that the dicing tape T is adhered to the wafer W and the ring frame F and the work set WS is continuously formed.

[0059] As is clear from the above explanation, according to the tape mounting method of the present invention implemented in the tape mounter 1 of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 3, in the cutting step, ultraviolet (UV) rays are irradiated from the UV irradiation unit 38 toward the outside of the cut line CL of the dicing tape T cut by the blade 31, so that the adhesive layer T2 (see Fig. 2(b)) outside the cut line CL of the dicing tape T is hardened. Therefore, even if the portion TB of the dicing tape T excluding the cut circular portion TA is peeled from the ring frame F in the peeling step, the adhesive layer T2 of the dicing tape T does not remain on the ring frame F, and the occurrence of problems due to the adhesive layer T2 remaining on the ring frame F is reliably prevented.

[0060] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, in the cutting process, nitrogen gas is sprayed from a nozzle 39 toward the cut line CL of the dicing tape T cut by the blade 31, so that the adhesive layer T2 exposed to the cut line CL of the dicing tape T does not come into contact with air, and the hardening of the adhesive layer T2 is not inhibited by oxygen in the air.

[0061] In the above embodiment, a method is adopted in which dicing tape T is adhered to the wafer W and ring frame F, and then the dicing tape T adhered to the ring frame F is cut into a circle. However, the present invention can also be similarly applied to a tape mounter and tape mounting method that employs a method in which dicing tape T is adhered only to the ring frame F, the adhered portion of the dicing tape T is cut into a circle, and then the wafer W is pressed against the dicing tape T remaining on the ring frame F side to adhere the wafer W to the dicing tape T, thereby forming a work set WS.

[0062] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the application of the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims and the technical ideas described in the specification and drawings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1: Tape mounter, 2, 3, 4, 5: Connecting passage, 10: Holding table, 10A: wafer holding part, 10B: frame holding part, 10a: porous member, 11: base, 12: suction source, 13: piping, 20: adhesion unit, 21: tape roll, 21a: core material, 22: guide roller, 23: adhesive roller, 24: support roller, 25: lifting mechanism, 25a: rod, 26: lifting mechanism, 26a: rod, 27: horizontal movement mechanism, 30: cutting unit, 31: blade, 31a: base, 31b: cutting edge, 32: Z-axis guide block, 33: lifting mechanism, 33a: lifting arm, 34: motor, 34a: rotating shaft (motor shaft), 35: arm, 36: brush cut, 37: Rotating shaft, 38: UV irradiation unit, 39: Nozzle, 40: Peeling mechanism, 41: Take-up roll, 41a: Core material, CL: Cut line, D: Device, F: Ring frame, Fa: Opening, f: Protective film, L1, L2: Dividing lines, T: dicing tape, T1: base material, T2: adhesive layer, TA: circular part of dicing tape, TB: part of the dicing tape other than the circular part, Ta: circular hole of the dicing tape, V: On-off valve, W: Wafer, WS: Work set, α: Dicing tape elevation angle

Claims

1. A tape mounter that forms a work set by adhering a dicing tape having an ultraviolet-curable adhesive layer on one side to a wafer and a ring frame having an opening for placing the wafer, and integrating the wafer and the ring frame with the dicing tape, a holding table for holding at least the ring frame; an adhering unit that adheres the dicing tape, which has an area that covers the ring frame held on the holding table, to at least the ring frame; a cutting unit that cuts the dicing tape into a circular shape by cutting a blade into the width of the ring frame and rotating the blade; a UV irradiation unit that irradiates ultraviolet light onto the dicing tape outside the cut line cut by the blade; a peeling mechanism that peels off the dicing tape from the ring frame at a portion outside a cut line along which the dicing tape is cut; A tape mounter comprising:

2. The cutting unit includes: a rotation axis having an axis at the center of the ring frame; the blade for cutting the dicing tape; an arm connecting the rotary shaft and the blade, 2. The tape mounter according to claim 1, wherein the UV irradiation unit is disposed outside and to the side of the blade that rotates around the rotary shaft and the arm, and the blade constitutes a light shielding plate.

3. 3. The tape mounter according to claim 2, wherein the blade has an outer surface that forms a reflective surface that reflects ultraviolet light.

4. 4. The tape mounter according to claim 1, further comprising a nozzle for spraying nitrogen gas onto the portion cut into the dicing tape by the blade.

5. A tape mounting method for forming a work set by adhering a dicing tape having an ultraviolet-curable adhesive on one side to a wafer and a ring frame having an opening for placing the wafer, and integrating the wafer and the ring frame with the dicing tape, comprising: a holding step of holding at least the ring frame on a holding table; a bonding step of bonding the dicing tape, which has an area that covers the ring frame, to at least the ring frame; a cutting step of cutting the dicing tape into a circular shape by rotating a blade whose cutting edge is cut within the width of the ring frame; an ultraviolet irradiation step of irradiating ultraviolet rays onto a portion of the dicing tape outside a cut line formed by rotating the blade, using a UV irradiation unit; a peeling step of peeling off the dicing tape outside the cut line cut by the blade from the ring frame; A tape mounting method comprising:

6. The tape mounting method described in claim 5, characterized in that the UV irradiation unit is positioned to the outside of the rotating blade, and the blade acts as a light shield to block the ultraviolet rays emitted from the UV irradiation unit from reaching the dicing tape inside the rotating blade, and the ultraviolet rays are irradiated onto the dicing tape outside the rotating blade, thereby carrying out the ultraviolet irradiation process in the cutting process.

7. 6. The tape mounting method according to claim 5, wherein the ultraviolet light irradiation step is carried out by reflecting the ultraviolet light irradiated from the UV irradiation unit on a reflective surface on the outer surface of the rotating blade.

8. 8. The tape mounting method according to claim 5, wherein the ultraviolet irradiation step includes a nitrogen gas injection step of injecting nitrogen from a nozzle into the portion of the dicing tape cut by the blade.

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