Processing equipment

Abstract

To provide a processing device that allows for simple confirmation of whether or not a workpiece has been reliably divided without the need to prepare additional equipment. [Solution] The processing apparatus 1 processes a workpiece 100, which is formed by dividing a plurality of device areas on one side by a plurality of division lines, along the division lines to divide the workpiece 100 into a plurality of devices. The processing apparatus 1 is equipped with an operation screen 20 for inputting conditions to the various control units 30 of the processing apparatus 1, and the operation screen 20 is used as illumination, making it possible to confirm whether or not the workpiece 100 has been divided using the illumination of the operation screen 20.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] For wafers (workpieces) such as silicon wafers on which a plurality of devices such as ICs (Integrated Circuits) and LSIs (Large Scale Integration) are formed on the surface, for example, after the back surface is ground by a grinding apparatus or the like to form a predetermined thickness, the wafers are divided into individual devices by a cutting apparatus or the like and used in electrical devices such as mobile phones and personal computers.

[0003] As one method of dividing a wafer into individual devices, a known laser processing apparatus is used to align the condensing point inside the wafer along the division planned line of the wafer and irradiate the laser to form a modified layer inside the wafer, and then the wafer is divided into individual devices by expanding the wafer in the outer circumferential direction using a known dividing apparatus (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, after using a splitting device to split wafers (workpieces), confirming whether the wafers were properly split required either transporting them to a separate inspection device for inspection or transporting them to a mounting platform equipped with a light source for visual inspection. This meant that separate inspection devices and mounting platforms had to be prepared in addition to the splitting device, resulting in additional costs.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a processing device that can easily and reliably confirm whether or not a workpiece has been divided without having to prepare additional equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the processing apparatus of the present invention is a processing apparatus that divides a workpiece, which is formed by dividing a workpiece into multiple device regions by a plurality of division lines on one side, into multiple devices by processing the workpiece along the division lines, and is equipped with an operation screen for inputting conditions to various control units of the processing apparatus, and the operation screen is used as illumination, and it is possible to confirm whether or not the workpiece has been divided using the illumination.

[0008] A support tape is attached to the other side of the workpiece to support it, and it may be possible to change the wavelength of light from the operation screen depending on the type of support tape.

[0009] When the operation screen is used as illumination, the operation screen may display guide lines including the outline of the workpiece.

[0010] The operation screen may be positioned horizontally. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The present invention allows the operation screen used to input conditions to various control units to be used as illumination to confirm whether or not a workpiece has been divided. Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to easily and reliably confirm whether or not a workpiece has been divided using the operation screen, without having to prepare additional devices such as a tracing table with an illumination function. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the workpiece being processed by the processing apparatus in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing another state of the processing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the processing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the processing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the processing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a plan view showing the main parts of the processing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a plan view showing the main parts of the processing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a plan view showing the main parts of the processing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiments. Furthermore, the components described below include those that can be easily imagined by those skilled in the art, and those that are substantially the same. In addition, the components described below can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0014] 〔Embodiment〕 The processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a workpiece 100 to be processed by the processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another state of the processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 1. The processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for processing the workpiece 100 shown in FIG. 2, and as shown in FIG. 1, includes a processing unit 10, an operation screen 20, and a control unit 30.

[0015] An example of the workpiece 100 which is the processing target (cutting target) of the processing apparatus 1 is, in this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a wafer such as a disk-shaped semiconductor device wafer or an optical device wafer having a base material such as silicon, sapphire, silicon carbide (SiC), or gallium arsenide. As shown in FIG. 2, the workpiece 100 includes a plurality of division planned lines 102 formed to intersect (orthogonally in a lattice shape in this embodiment) on the flat one surface 101 side, and a plurality of device regions 103 are partitioned and formed by the plurality of division planned lines 102. Devices are formed in each of the plurality of device regions 103. Further, the workpiece 100 is not limited to the above wafer, and may be a circular package substrate, a ceramic plate, or a glass plate having a plurality of devices sealed with resin.

[0016] In this embodiment, the workpiece 100 may have a division starting point 108 along the division planned line 102 as shown in FIG. 2. Before being processed by the processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, for example, a laser beam having a wavelength that is transmissive to the workpiece 100 is irradiated with the condensing point inside the workpiece 100 along the division planned line 102, and a modified layer which is a division starting point 108 along the division planned line 102 may be formed inside. Here, the modified layer means a region in which the density, refractive index, mechanical strength, and other physical properties are different from those of the surroundings, and examples include a melting treatment region, a crack region, an insulation breakdown region, a refractive index change region, and a region in which these regions are mixed.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, on the flat other surface 104 side on the back side of one surface 101 of the workpiece 100, a support tape 105 for supporting the workpiece 100 is adhered. The support tape 105 is, for example, a so-called expandable sheet in which an adhesive layer (sticky layer) is formed on one surface of a base material sheet made of a resin having elasticity, and the other surface 104 side of the workpiece 100 is adhered to the side where the adhesive layer (sticky layer) is formed. In this embodiment, the support tape 105 further has heat shrinkability that causes it to shrink when heated.

[0018] In this embodiment, the workpiece 100 may further be provided with an annular frame 106 having an opening larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece 100 at the outer edge of the support tape 105 adhered to the other surface 104 side. That is, the workpiece 100 may be supported and fixed through the support tape 105 in the opening of the annular frame 106. Further, on the other surface 104 side of the workpiece 100, a film-shaped adhesive having a larger area in the planar direction than the workpiece 100 for die bonding, such as a die attach film (DAF), may be further provided between the other surface 104 and the support tape 105.

[0019] The processing unit 10 processes the workpiece 100 along the division line 102 to divide it into multiple devices. In this embodiment, the processing unit 10 includes a tape expansion unit 11 and a tape contraction unit 12, as shown in Figure 1. The tape expansion unit 11 expands the support tape 105 attached to the workpiece 100. In this embodiment, the tape expansion unit 11 is configured to include, for example, a frame fixing part, a push-up member, and a lifting part. The frame fixing part has an opening larger than the inner diameter of the opening of the annular frame 106, and fixes the annular frame 106, which is attached to the workpiece 100 via the support tape 105, from the outer circumference. The push-up member is formed in a cylindrical shape that is larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece 100 and smaller than the inner diameter of the opening of the annular frame 106, and is provided on the inner circumference and coaxially with the opening of the frame fixing part. The lifting unit is installed below the thrusting member and raises the thrusting member relative to the frame fixing part.

[0020] The tape expansion unit 11 fixes the annular frame 106 attached to the workpiece 100 at the frame fixing part, positioning the workpiece 100 coaxially with the frame fixing part and the push-up member. The tape expansion unit 11 then uses a lifting unit to raise the push-up member relative to the frame fixing part that fixes the annular frame 106. As a result, the tape expansion unit 11 presses the annular region between the outer circumference of the workpiece 100 and the inner circumference of the opening of the annular frame 106 in the thickness direction of the workpiece 100 at the upper surface of the push-up member, thereby expanding the support tape 105 in a generally isotropic manner in the planar direction.

[0021] The tape expansion unit 11 expands the support tape 105 attached to the workpiece 100 in this manner, thereby dividing the workpiece 100 into individual devices along the division line 102, starting from the division starting point 108. As a result, linear gaps 109 (see Figures 3 and 7) are formed in the workpiece 100, which serve as division grooves that separate each device along the division line 102. In this embodiment 1, the width of the gaps 109 is, for example, about 25 μm to 300 μm, but it may also be less than 25 μm. If a film-like adhesive is also provided, the film-like adhesive is broken along the division line 102 where the division starting point 108 is formed, in addition to dividing the workpiece 100 into individual devices.

[0022] The tape shrinking unit 12 shrinks the annular region of the support tape 105, which has been loosened by the expansion unit 11. In this embodiment, the tape shrinking unit 12 is configured to have, for example, a heating section that heats the annular region of the support tape 105. The heating section may be formed in an annular shape in plan view to match the annular region of the support tape 105. Alternatively, the heating section may be formed in any shape having a width equivalent to the annular region of the support tape 105 and configured to move along the circumferential direction in accordance with the annular region of the support tape 105. By heating the annular region of the support tape 105 with the heating section, the tape shrinking unit 12 shrinks the annular region of the support tape 105, fixing the area on the inner circumference of the support tape 105 to an expanded state compared to the outer circumference of the workpiece 100. This fixes the width of the gap 109 to approximately the size formed by the expansion unit 11.

[0023] In this invention, the processing unit 10 is not limited to a configuration comprising a tape expansion unit 11 and a tape contraction unit 12. For example, instead of the tape contraction unit 12, a tape gripping and fixing unit may be provided that grips and fixes the annular region of the support tape 105, which has been loosened by expansion by the tape expansion unit 11, using a clip or the like. Furthermore, in this invention, the processing unit 10 may further include, in addition to the tape expansion unit 11 and the tape contraction unit 12 (or tape gripping and fixing unit), a laser irradiation unit that irradiates the workpiece 100 with a laser to form a division starting point 108 along the planned division line 102.

[0024] Furthermore, in this invention, the processing unit 10 may be a pressing roller instead of the tape expansion unit 11 and the tape contraction unit 12. In this case, the workpiece 100, supported from below by an elastic member, is pressed along the thickness direction by the pressing roller and rotated along the surface direction, thereby dividing it into individual devices along the planned division line 102, starting from the division starting point 108.

[0025] Furthermore, in the present invention, if no division starting point 108 is formed on the workpiece 100, the processing unit 10 may be replaced with a cutting unit or a laser processing unit instead of the tape expansion unit 11 and the tape contraction unit 12. In the case of a cutting unit, the cutting unit cuts the workpiece 100 along the division line 102 using a rotating cutting blade, thereby dividing it into individual devices along the division line 102. In the case of a laser processing unit, the laser processing unit irradiates the workpiece 100 with a laser beam of a wavelength absorbed by the workpiece 100 along the division line 102, performing a so-called ablation process that sublimes or evaporates the workpiece 100, thereby dividing it into individual devices along the division line 102. Furthermore, if the processing unit 10 includes such a cutting unit or laser processing unit, it may further include a grinding unit or a polishing unit that grinds or polishes the workpiece 100 from the other side 104 to form it to a predetermined thickness.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, the processing apparatus 1 further comprises a cassette mounting table 41, a cleaning unit 42, and a transport mechanism 43. The cassette mounting table 41 is a mounting table on which a cassette 45, which is a container for housing multiple workpieces 100, is placed, and the placed cassette 45 is raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction. The cleaning unit 42 is equipped with a spinner table and supplies cleaning fluid to the workpieces 100 held by the spinner table to clean the workpieces 100 and remove contamination such as processing debris that has adhered to the workpieces 100 when they were divided and processed by the processing unit 10, for example.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1, the transport mechanism 43 holds and transports the workpiece 100. In this embodiment, the transport mechanism 43 holds the workpiece 100 via the annular frame 106, which is attached to the workpiece 100 via the support tape 105, by gripping or clamping the annular frame 106 from the outer circumference. Alternatively, the transport mechanism 43 may hold the workpiece 100 via the annular frame 106 by suction holding the upper surface of the annular frame 106, which is attached to the workpiece 100 via the support tape 105, from above. The transport mechanism 43 transports the workpiece 100 between the inside of the cassette 45 placed on the cassette mounting table 41, predetermined positions within the processing unit 10 (predetermined positions within the tape expansion unit 11, predetermined positions within the tape contraction unit 12), and the spinner table of the cleaning unit 42.

[0028] The operation screen 20 is used to input conditions to the various control units 30 of the processing apparatus 1. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the operation screen 20 is provided on a side cover 2 that covers one side of each component of the processing apparatus 1. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the operation screen 20 is configured to be positionable in the horizontal direction. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the operation screen 20 is provided in a position that can be switched between a vertical position 28, in which the in-plane direction of the operation screen 20 is positioned parallel to the vertical direction (the Z-axis direction in Figures 1 and 3), and a horizontal position 29, in which the in-plane direction of the operation screen 20 is positioned parallel to the horizontal direction (the XY plane direction in Figures 1 and 3), as shown in Figure 3.

[0029] When the operation screen 20 is positioned at the vertical position 28, the operation surface of the operation screen 20, that is, the display surface and the input surface that accepts input operations, are oriented outward from the side cover 2, as shown in Figure 1. When the operation screen 20 is positioned at the horizontal position 29, the operation surface of the operation screen 20 is oriented upward in the vertical direction, as shown in Figure 3.

[0030] In the following, the length of the operation screen 20 along the horizontal direction (X-axis direction in Figures 1 and 3) when the operation screen 20 is positioned at the vertical position 28 will be referred to as the width of the operation screen 20. The length of the operation screen 20 along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction in Figures 1 and 3) when the operation screen 20 is positioned at the vertical position 28 will be referred to as the height of the operation screen 20. The portions of the operation screen 20 located at the lower end and upper end when the operation screen 20 is positioned at the vertical position 28 will be referred to as the lower end portion 25 and the upper end portion 26, respectively.

[0031] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the operation screen 20 comprises a display screen 21 and an input unit 22. The display screen 21 is controlled by the control unit 30 and displays various information related to the processing apparatus 1 in response to commands from the control unit 30. Specifically, the display screen 21 displays, in a way that is easily visible to the operator, various conditions for various processes such as the processing of the processing unit 10 (expansion processing of the tape expansion unit 11 and shrinking processing of the tape shrinking unit 12), the display processing of the operation screen 20 itself, the raising and lowering processing of the cassette mounting table 41, the cleaning processing of the cleaning unit 42, the transport processing of the transport mechanism 43, and the control processing of the control unit 30, as well as information on the set conditions, various processing results, and images and data acquired by various processes. In this embodiment, the display screen 21 is configured, for example, by a liquid crystal display (LCD display).

[0032] The input unit 22 is provided on the display screen 21. The input unit 22 is used when an operator inputs information regarding the various conditions of the processing device 1, as well as information regarding the display of images, etc., to the control unit 30. In this embodiment, the input unit 22 is configured, for example, as a touch panel provided on the display screen 21, and accepts input (operation) of various conditions through the screen for setting various conditions displayed on the display screen 21, and outputs the accepted conditions to the control unit 30.

[0033] Figures 4, 5, and 6 are side cross-sectional views showing the main parts of the processing apparatus 1 in Figure 1. The operation screen 20 is provided with a slide rail 23, as shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6. The operation screen 20 can move between a vertical position 28 and a horizontal position 29 by using the slide rail 23.

[0034] The slide rail 23 is provided extending along a direction perpendicular to the operating surface of the operating screen 20 when the operating screen 20 is positioned at the vertical position 28 (the Y-axis direction in Figure 3). Hereinafter, the direction perpendicular to the operating surface of the operating screen 20 when the operating screen 20 is positioned at the vertical position 28 will be referred to as the direction in which the slide rail 23 extends or the sliding direction. The slide rail 23 is formed to a predetermined width that is perpendicular to the sliding direction and along the horizontal direction (the X-axis direction in Figure 3), corresponding to the width of the operating screen 20. The slide rail 23 is provided at the height of the lower end portion 25 of the operating screen 20 when the operating screen 20 is positioned at the vertical position 28.

[0035] The slide rail 23 is provided so as to be slidable along the sliding direction between a storage position in which it is completely housed inside the side cover 2 and an extended position in which it is pulled out from the side cover 2 by a length equivalent to the height of the operation screen 20. The slide rail 23 is supported by the side cover 2 so as to be slidable along the sliding direction.

[0036] The operation screen 20, positioned at the vertical position 28, is switched to the horizontal position 29 as follows. First, the slide rail 23 is slid from the storage position to the extension position. Next, the lower end 25 of the operation screen 20 is slid along the slide rail 23, positioned at the extension position, toward the outside of the side cover 2, as shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6. Consequently, the upper end 26 of the operation screen 20 is moved downward until it finally contacts the slide rail 23. As a result, the lower end 25 and upper end 26 of the operation screen 20 are positioned at the same height vertically, with the lower end 25 positioned outside the side cover 2 relative to the upper end 26. In this way, the operation screen 20 is positioned at the horizontal position 29 using the slide rail 23. The operation screen 20, positioned at the horizontal position 29, is then switched to the vertical position 28 by performing the exact opposite movement, as shown in Figures 6, 5, and 4.

[0037] As will be described later, the operation screen 20 functions as a light source, and by positioning the side of the workpiece 100 to which the support tape 105 is attached facing the operating surface of the operation screen 20, it is possible to use this light to confirm whether or not the workpiece 100 has been divided. When the operation screen 20 is positioned at the vertical position 28, the workpiece 100 is positioned upright on the operating surface of the operation screen 20 with its surface direction (the direction parallel to one surface 101 and the other surface 104) aligned with the vertical direction in order to confirm whether or not it has been divided. On the other hand, when the operation screen 20 is positioned at the horizontal position 29, the workpiece 100 is positioned horizontally on the operating surface of the operation screen 20 in order to confirm whether or not it has been divided.

[0038] In this embodiment, the operation screen 20 is configured to be positioned horizontally, so by positioning it horizontally (horizontal position 29), the workpiece 100 that you want to check whether or not it has been divided can be placed on the operation surface of the operation screen 20 while remaining horizontal. As a result, when checking whether or not it has been divided, positioning the operation screen 20 horizontally (horizontal position 29) allows the workpiece 100 to be placed on the operation surface of the operation screen 20 more stably compared to when it is positioned vertically 28.

[0039] Figures 7, 8, and 9 are plan views showing the main parts of the processing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1. The processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7 for example, uses the operation screen 20 as illumination, and it is possible to confirm whether or not the workpiece 100 has been divided using the illumination of the operation screen 20. When the operation screen 20 receives an input from the input unit 22 to set the operation screen 20 to an illumination mode for use in confirming the division of the workpiece 100, the display screen 21 displays an illumination image 50 as shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9, and increases the intensity of the light emitted from the display screen 21 to a sufficiently high level.

[0040] Here, the illumination image 50 is an image that, when displayed on the display screen 21, makes the operation screen 20 available as illumination for confirming the division of the workpiece 100. The illumination image 50 is, for example, an image of light color that is generally uniform across the entire surface, has sufficiently high brightness, and a hue that includes wavelengths of light that pass through the support tape 105 and are blocked by the workpiece 100. Specifically, as the illumination image 50, an image is used that is generally uniform across the entire surface, has sufficiently high brightness, and a hue that is a light color such as pale yellow or white.

[0041] The operation screen 20, by displaying the illumination image 50 on the display screen 21, can irradiate the entire surface of the operation surface (display surface) with light that includes wavelengths that pass through the support tape 105 and are blocked by the workpiece 100, in a generally uniform manner. Note that the wavelengths of light blocked by the workpiece 100 refer to light of wavelengths that do not sufficiently pass through the workpiece 100. The light irradiated by the operation screen 20 is blocked by the device separated from the workpiece 100 and passes through the linear gap 109 formed along the division line 102. Therefore, by irradiating the entire surface of the operation surface with such light, the operation screen 20 makes it possible for an operator to easily visually confirm whether or not the workpiece 100 placed on the operation surface has been divided, as shown in Figure 7.

[0042] Specifically, the worker can place the workpiece 100 on the operating surface of the operating screen 20 displaying the illumination image 50, and visually confirm that the light emitted from the operating screen 20 is blocked in the area corresponding to the device, and that the light emitted from the operating screen 20 is transmitted along all the planned division lines 102, thereby confirming that the workpiece 100 has been reliably divided along all the planned division lines 102 and that linear gaps 109 have been formed. On the other hand, the worker can visually confirm that the light emitted from the operating screen 20 is blocked and not transmitted along at least some of the planned division lines 102, thereby confirming that the workpiece 100 has not been divided along those parts of the planned division lines 102 and that linear gaps 109 have not been formed.

[0043] In this embodiment, the operation screen 20 can also change the wavelength of light emitted from the operation screen 20 in illumination mode, depending on the type of support tape 105 attached to the workpiece 100. The operation screen 20 changes the wavelength of light emitted from the operation screen 20 in illumination mode to a wavelength of light that passes through that type of support tape 105, or a wavelength of light that has a high transmittance to that type of support tape 105, depending on the type of support tape 105 attached to the workpiece 100.

[0044] Specifically, when the operation screen 20 receives input from the input unit 22 regarding the type of support tape 105 attached to the workpiece 100, it changes the illumination image 50 displayed on the display screen 21 to an illumination image 50 with brightness and hue that can irradiate light of a wavelength that penetrates or has high transmittance through that type of support tape 105. By changing the illumination image 50 in this way, the operation screen 20 changes the wavelength of light emitted from the operation screen 20 in illumination mode.

[0045] In this embodiment, the operation screen 20 can also change the wavelength of light emitted from the operation screen 20 in illumination mode, depending on the type of base material of the workpiece 100. The operation screen 20 changes the wavelength of light emitted from the operation screen 20 in illumination mode to a wavelength of light that is blocked by the workpiece 100 of that type of base material, or a wavelength of light that has a high blocking rate (low transmittance) by the workpiece 100 of that type of base material.

[0046] Specifically, when the operation screen 20 receives input of the type of base material of the workpiece 100 via the input unit 22, it changes the illumination image 50 displayed on the display screen 21 to an illumination image 50 with brightness and hue that can emit light of wavelengths that are blocked or have a high blocking rate by the workpiece 100 of that type of base material. By changing the illumination image 50 in this way, the operation screen 20 changes the wavelength of light emitted from the operation screen 20 in illumination mode.

[0047] In this embodiment, the operation screen 20 also allows the operator to arbitrarily change the wavelength of light emitted from the operation screen 20 in lighting mode. Specifically, when the operation screen 20 receives an input from the input unit 22 indicating that the wavelength of light emitted from the operation screen 20 should be changed, the illumination image 50 displayed on the display screen 21 is changed to an illumination image 50 with brightness and hue that can emit light of the changed wavelength. By changing the illumination image 50 in this way, the operation screen 20 changes the wavelength of light emitted from the operation screen 20 in lighting mode.

[0048] In this embodiment, when the operation screen 20 is used as illumination to confirm whether or not the workpiece 100 has been divided, as shown in Figure 8, the operation screen 20 can display marker lines including the contour lines 51 and 52 of the workpiece 100. Specifically, when the operation screen 20 receives input from the input unit 22 indicating that marker lines including contour lines 51 and 52 should be displayed, the display screen 21 displays the illumination image 50 and displays the marker lines including contour lines 51 and 52 superimposed on the illumination image 50. Note that contour lines 51 and 52 are examples of marker lines in this invention.

[0049] Of the contour lines 51 and 52, the inner contour line 51 is a line drawn to the size and shape corresponding to the outline of the outer edge of the workpiece 100 before the support tape 105 attached to the workpiece 100 by the tape expansion unit 11 is expanded. Of the contour lines 51 and 52, the outer contour line 52 is a line drawn to the size and shape corresponding to the outline of the outer edge of the workpiece 100 after the support tape 105 attached to the workpiece 100 by the tape expansion unit 11 is expanded.

[0050] The operation screen 20 displays these contour lines 51 and 52, allowing the operator to place the workpiece 100 on the operation surface and, by overlapping the outer edge of the placed workpiece 100 with either of the contour lines 51 or 52, easily and clearly confirm the extent of the workpiece 100 placed on the operation surface. This makes it possible to easily and clearly visually confirm whether or not the workpiece 100 placed on the operation surface is divided.

[0051] Specifically, the operator can confirm that the workpiece 100 has been reliably divided along all planned division lines 102 by placing the workpiece 100 on the operating surface of the operation screen 20 displaying the illumination image 50 and contour lines 51, 52, and visually confirming that the outer edge of the placed workpiece 100 and the outer contour line 52 are neatly aligned. On the other hand, the operator can confirm that the workpiece 100 has not been divided along all planned division lines 102 by visually confirming that the outer edge of the placed workpiece 100 and the inner contour line 51 are neatly aligned. Furthermore, the operator can confirm that the workpiece 100 has been divided along some of the planned division lines 102, but not along the remaining parts of the planned division lines 102, by visually confirming that the outer edge of the placed workpiece 100 is positioned between the contour lines 51, 52.

[0052] In this embodiment, when the operation screen 20 is used as illumination to confirm whether or not the workpiece 100 has been divided, the operation screen 20 can display marker lines including the grid lines 53 of the workpiece 100, as shown in Figure 9. Specifically, when the operation screen 20 receives input from the input unit 22 indicating that marker lines including the grid lines 53 should be displayed, the display screen 21 displays the illumination image 50 and displays the marker lines including the grid lines 53 superimposed on the illumination image 50. Note that the grid lines 53 are an example of marker lines in this invention.

[0053] The grid lines 53 are, for example, multiple straight lines drawn in a grid pattern corresponding to the planned division lines 102 of part or all of the workpiece 100 after the support tape 105 attached to the workpiece 100 by the tape expansion unit 11 has been expanded. By displaying such grid lines 53 on the operation screen 20, the operator can place the workpiece 100 on the operation surface and, by overlapping one of the planned division lines 102 of the placed workpiece 100 with the grid lines 53, easily and clearly confirm the extent of the workpiece 100 placed on the operation surface, thereby enabling easy and clear visual confirmation of whether or not the workpiece 100 placed on the operation surface has been divided.

[0054] Specifically, the operator can confirm that the workpiece 100 has been reliably divided along all of the division lines 102 by placing the workpiece 100 on the operating surface of the operating screen 20 displaying the illumination image 50 and grid lines 53, and visually confirming that some or all of the division lines 102 of the placed workpiece 100 are neatly aligned with the grid lines 53. On the other hand, the operator can confirm that the workpiece 100 has not been divided along some or all of the division lines 102 by visually confirming that some or all of the division lines 102 of the placed workpiece 100 are misaligned with the grid lines 53.

[0055] In addition, the grid lines 53 may be multiple straight lines drawn in a grid pattern corresponding to some or all of the planned division lines 102 of the workpiece 100 before the support tape 105 attached to the workpiece 100 by the tape expansion unit 11 is expanded. In this case, the operator can place the workpiece 100 on the operating surface of the operation screen 20 displaying the illumination image 50 and the grid lines 53, and visually confirm that some or all of the planned division lines 102 of the placed workpiece 100 are neatly aligned with the grid lines 53, thereby confirming that the workpiece 100 is not divided along all of the planned division lines 102. On the other hand, the operator can visually confirm that some or all of the planned division lines 102 of the placed workpiece 100 are misaligned with the grid lines 53, thereby confirming that the workpiece 100 is not divided along some or all of the planned division lines 102.

[0056] The control unit 30 controls the operation of various components of the processing device 1, causing the processing device 1 to perform various processes such as processing the workpiece 100 by the processing unit 10 and displaying the operation screen 20. When the control unit 30 receives an input from the input unit 22 to set the operation screen 20 to illumination mode, it sets the operation screen 20 to illumination mode and displays a pre-registered illumination image 50 on the display screen 21.

[0057] The control unit 30 receives input from the input unit 22 regarding the type of support tape 105 attached to the workpiece 100, the type of base material of the workpiece 100, and an input from the operation screen 20 to change the wavelength of light to be emitted. In response, it refers to pre-registered lighting image 50 data and changes the lighting image 50 displayed on the display screen 21 to a lighting image 50 with brightness and hue that can emit light of the wavelength corresponding to the received input information. The control unit 30 is pre-registered by the operator or other personnel with lighting images 50 corresponding to various types of support tape 105, lighting images 50 corresponding to various types of base material of the workpiece 100, lighting images 50 corresponding to any combination of support tape 105 type and workpiece 100 base material type, and lighting images 50 corresponding to any wavelength.

[0058] The control unit 30, upon receiving input from the input unit 22 to display contour lines 51, 52 or grid lines 53, refers to pre-registered data of marker lines including contour lines 51, 52 and grid lines 53, and displays the contour lines 51, 52 and grid lines 53 superimposed on the illumination image 50 displayed on the display screen 21. The control unit 30, upon receiving input from the input unit 22 of the diameter of the workpiece 100 before or after expanding the support tape 105, changes the diameter of the contour line 51 or contour line 52 superimposed on the illumination image 50 on the display screen 21. The control unit 30, upon receiving input from the input unit 22 of the spacing of some or all of the planned division lines 102 after expanding the support tape 105, changes the spacing and number of grid lines 53 superimposed on the illumination image 50 on the display screen 21. The control unit 30 is pre-registered by an operator or other user with the diameter of the contour line 51 or contour line 52 corresponding to the diameter of the workpiece 100 before or after expanding the support tape 105, and the spacing and number of grid lines 53 corresponding to the spacing of some or all of the planned division lines 102 after expanding the support tape 105.

[0059] In Embodiment 1, the control unit 30 includes a computer system. The computer system included in the control unit 30 has an arithmetic processing unit having a microprocessor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device having memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory), and an input / output interface device. The arithmetic processing unit of the control unit 30 performs arithmetic processing according to a computer program stored in the storage device of the control unit 30 and outputs control signals for controlling the processing device 1 to each component of the processing device 1 via the input / output interface device of the control unit 30.

[0060] The processing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1, having the configuration described above, allows the operation screen 20 for inputting conditions to the various control units 30 of the processing apparatus 1 to be used as illumination to confirm whether or not the workpiece 100 has been divided. Therefore, the processing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 has the effect of allowing for easy and reliable confirmation of whether or not the workpiece 100 has been divided by using the operation screen 20 provided on the processing apparatus 1, without the need to prepare additional equipment such as a tracing table with an illumination function for the processing apparatus 1.

[0061] Furthermore, in the processing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1, a support tape 105 is attached to the other side 104 of the workpiece 100 that is the target of processing by the processing apparatus 1, and it is possible to change the wavelength of light from the operation screen 20 according to the type of support tape 105. As a result, the processing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 can irradiate from the operation screen 20 with light containing wavelengths that pass through the support tape 105 with a higher transmittance and are blocked with a higher blocking rate by the workpiece 100. Therefore, by irradiating with light containing such wavelengths from the operation screen 20 of the processing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1, it is possible to more clearly and easily confirm whether or not the workpiece 100 has been reliably divided using the operation screen 20 provided in the processing apparatus 1.

[0062] Furthermore, in the processing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1, when the operation screen 20 is used as illumination, the operation screen 20 can display marker lines including the contour lines 51, 52 of the workpiece 100 and grid lines 53 corresponding to the planned division lines 102 of part or all of the workpiece 100. Therefore, in the processing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1, by further displaying marker lines including the contour lines 51, 52 and grid lines 53 on the operation screen 20 which is used as illumination, it is possible to more clearly and easily confirm whether or not the workpiece 100 has been reliably divided using the operation screen 20 provided in the processing apparatus 1.

[0063] Furthermore, the processing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 allows the operation screen 20 to be positioned horizontally. This allows the processing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 to position the operation screen 20 horizontally, enabling the workpiece 100, which is to be checked for division, to be placed horizontally on the operation surface of the operation screen 20. Therefore, by positioning the operation screen 20 horizontally, the processing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 can more stably position the workpiece 100 on the operation surface of the operation screen 20, and the processing apparatus 1 can use the operation screen 20 provided in the processing apparatus 1 to easily and reliably check whether the workpiece 100 has been divided.

[0064] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. That is, it can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the core principles of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1 Processing equipment 20 Operation screen 30 Control Units 51,52 Outline 53 grid lines 100 Workpiece 101 one side 102 planned division lines 103 Device Area 104 Other side 105 Support Tape

Claims

1. A processing apparatus for dividing a workpiece, which is formed by dividing a workpiece into multiple device regions by multiple division lines on one side, along the division lines to divide the workpiece into multiple devices, The processing apparatus is equipped with an operation screen for inputting conditions to various control units, A processing apparatus that uses the operation screen as illumination and allows for confirmation of whether or not the workpiece has been divided using the illumination.

2. A support tape is attached to the other side of the workpiece to support it. Depending on the type of support tape, the wavelength of light from the operation screen can be changed. The processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the operation screen is used as illumination, the operation screen displays marking lines including the contour line of the workpiece.

4. The operation screen can be positioned horizontally. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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