Method for inspecting the tip shape of inspection components and cutting blades

Abstract

The tip shape of the cutting blade can be inspected without complicating the device configuration. [Solution] The inspection member 1 is an inspection member for inspecting the tip shape of a cutting blade, and comprises a main body portion 10 and a plate-shaped inspection sample portion 20 protruding from the outer circumference of the main body portion 10. The cutting blade tip shape inspection method is a cutting blade tip shape inspection method using the inspection member 1, and comprises a holding step of holding the main body portion 10 with a holding table, a cutting groove forming step of making a cutting groove from the upper surface 21 to the lower surface 22 by making a cutting groove into the inspection sample portion 20 with a rotating cutting blade, and an inspection step of imaging the cutting groove from the upper surface 21 side or the lower surface 22 side and inspecting the shape of the cutting groove from the imaged image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection member for a cutting blade and a method for inspecting the tip shape of a cutting blade.

Background Art

[0002] In a dicing process for cutting a workpiece such as a wafer, a rotating cutting blade is cut into the workpiece along a planned division line and divided into individual chips.

[0003] In such a dicing process, with cutting, the tip of the cutting blade gradually wears evenly from left and right and becomes an R shape. However, due to the influence of the machining load or the like, if the wear from the left and right becomes uneven, the tip may taper or uneven wear may occur where it deviates to one side.

[0004] When cutting with a cutting blade in a state where the tip is unevenly worn, problems such as the cutting blade being damaged and sudden cracks occurring in the workpiece, or the shape of the chips after division becoming uneven, may occur.

[0005] Therefore, conventionally, in order to inspect the tip shape of a cutting blade, after cutting a workpiece, a cutting groove was formed by cutting an inspection member with the cutting blade up to the middle of its thickness direction, and the groove bottom cross-sectional shape of the cutting groove was inspected with a microscope.

[0006] However, in the conventional method described above, there is a hassle of taking out the inspection member with the cutting groove formed by the cutting device from the cutting device and setting it on the microscope.

[0007] Therefore, a cutting device equipped with a function of imaging the groove bottom cross-sectional shape of a cutting groove by lying down the inspection member with the cutting groove formed has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0008]

Patent Document 1

[0009] The cutting apparatus shown in Patent Document 1 presents another problem: the addition of a mechanism for tilting the inspection member on its side complicates the apparatus structure.

[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide an inspection member and a method for inspecting the tip shape of a cutting blade that can inspect the tip shape of a cutting blade without complicating the device configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the inspection member of the present invention is an inspection member for inspecting the tip shape of a cutting blade, and is characterized by comprising a main body portion and a plate-shaped inspection sample portion protruding from the outer circumference of the main body portion.

[0012] The present invention relates to a method for inspecting the tip shape of a cutting blade using the inspection member, and is characterized by comprising: a holding step of holding the main body portion with a holding table; a cutting groove forming step of making a cutting groove from the top surface to the bottom surface by making a cutting groove into the inspection sample portion with a rotating cutting blade; and an inspection step of imaging the cutting groove from the top or bottom side and inspecting the shape of the cutting groove from the imaged image. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] This invention has the advantage of allowing inspection of the tip shape of a cutting blade without complicating the device configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of an inspection member according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2]Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the cutting blade tip shape inspection method according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the preparation steps for the cutting blade tip shape inspection method shown in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main part illustrating the holding step of the cutting blade tip shape inspection method shown in Figure 2. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main part of the cutting groove formation step of the cutting blade tip shape inspection method shown in Figure 2. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main part showing the state in which the inspection sample portion of the inspection member is imaged during the inspection step of the cutting blade tip shape inspection method shown in Figure 2. [Figure 7] Figure 7 schematically shows an image of the inspection sample portion of the inspection member acquired in the inspection step of the cutting blade tip shape inspection method shown in Figure 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] 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.

[0016] [Embodiment 1] An inspection member according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of an inspection member according to Embodiment 1. The inspection member 1 shown in Figure 1 according to Embodiment 1 is a member for inspecting the shape of the cutting edge 45, which is the tip shape of the cutting edge 44 of the cutting blade 43 shown in Figure 5.

[0017] (Cutting blade) The cutting blade 43 inspected by the inspection member 1 shown in FIG. 1 according to Embodiment 1 is for cutting a workpiece such as a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer. The cutting blade 43 has an annular cutting edge 44 shown in FIG. 5.

[0018] The cutting edge 44 is made of abrasive grains such as diamond or CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride) and a bonding material (binding material) such as metal or resin, and is formed to a predetermined thickness. In the present invention, the cutting blade 43 may be a so-called washer blade consisting only of the cutting edge 44, or may be a so-called hub blade having, in addition to the cutting edge 44, an annular base provided with the cutting edge 44 at its outer edge.

[0019] In the present invention, the workpiece to be cut by the cutting blade 43 may be a so-called TAIKO (registered trademark) wafer having a thinned central portion and a thick portion formed at the outer peripheral portion. In addition to wafers, resin package substrates such as rectangular QFN (Quad Flat No leaded) package substrates having a plurality of devices sealed with resin, ceramic substrates, ferrite substrates, or substrates containing at least one of nickel and iron, glass substrates, etc. may also be used.

[0020] (Inspection member) As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection member 1 for inspecting the shape of the cutting edge 45 of the cutting edge 44 of the cutting blade 43 integrally includes a main body portion 10 and a plate-shaped inspection sample portion 20 protruding from the outer periphery of the main body portion 10.

[0021] The main body portion 10 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has rectangular upper and lower surfaces 11 and 12 located at both ends in the thickness direction and parallel to each other, a pair of end surfaces 13 and 14 connected to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the upper and lower surfaces 11 and 12 and orthogonal to the upper and lower surfaces 11 and 12, and a pair of side surfaces 15 and 16 connected to both ends in the width direction of the upper and lower surfaces 11 and 12 and both ends in the width direction of the end surfaces 13 and 14 and orthogonal to the upper and lower surfaces 11 and 12 and the end surfaces 13 and 14.

[0022] The inspection sample section 20 is formed as a flat plate with a constant thickness, with one end in the width direction connected to one side surface 15 of the main body section 10, and protruding outward from one side surface 15 of the main body section 10. In Embodiment 1, the thickness of the inspection sample section 20 is thinner than the thickness of the main body section 10, the upper surface 21 of the inspection sample section 20 is formed flush with the upper surface 11 of the main body section 10, the lower surface 22 of the inspection sample section 20 is spaced apart from the lower surface 12 of the main body section 10, and the end faces 23 and 24 at the longitudinal ends of the inspection sample section 20 are formed flush with the end faces 13 and 14 of the main body section 10.

[0023] In Embodiment 1, the inspection member 1 is made of carbon, but in the present invention, the material constituting the inspection member 1 is not limited to carbon.

[0024] (Method for inspecting the tip shape of a cutting blade) Next, a method for inspecting the tip shape of a cutting blade will be described. Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the cutting blade tip shape inspection method according to Embodiment 1. The cutting blade tip shape inspection method according to Embodiment 1 is a method for inspecting the cross-sectional shape (corresponding to the shape) of the cutting edge 45, which is the tip of the cutting edge 44 of the cutting blade 43, using the inspection member 1 with the configuration described above.

[0025] The cross-sectional shape of the cutting edge 45 of the cutting edge 44 refers to the shape of the cross-section passing through the axis of the cutting edge 45 of the cutting edge 44. The cutting blade tip shape inspection method according to Embodiment 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as the inspection method) comprises a preparation step 101, a holding step 102, a cutting groove forming step 103, and an inspection step 104, as shown in Figure 2.

[0026] (Preparation Steps) Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the preparation steps for the cutting blade tip shape inspection method shown in Figure 2. Preparation step 101 is a step to prepare to hold the inspection member 1 on the holding table 41 (shown in Figure 4) of the cutting device 40 having the cutting blade 43 to be inspected.

[0027] In the preparation step 101 according to Embodiment 1, as shown in Figure 3, the lower surface 12 of the main body 10 of the inspection member 1 is attached to the center of the tape 202, which has an annular frame 201 attached to its outer edge, thereby supporting the inspection member 1 within the opening 203 of the annular frame 201.

[0028] (Holding step) Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main part illustrating the holding step of the cutting blade tip shape inspection method shown in Figure 2. The holding step 102 is the step of holding the main body 10 with the holding table 41.

[0029] In Embodiment 1, during the holding step 102, the lower surface 12 of the main body 10 of the inspection member 1 is placed on the holding surface 42 of the holding table 41 of the cutting device 40 via the tape 202. In Embodiment 1, during the holding step 102, as shown in Figure 4, the cutting device 40 uses suction to hold the lower surface 12 of the main body 10 of the inspection member 1 on the holding surface 42 of the holding table 41 via the tape 202, and clamps the frame 201 with a frame clamp (not shown) provided on the outer circumference of the holding table 41.

[0030] In Embodiment 1, the holding table 41 is made of a translucent material such as glass, and a suction passage is provided on the holding surface 42 for transmitting negative pressure from a suction source.

[0031] (Cutting groove formation step) Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main part of the cutting groove formation step of the cutting blade tip shape inspection method shown in Figure 2. The cutting groove formation step 103 is a step in which a rotating cutting blade 43 cuts into the inspection sample portion 20 to form a cutting groove 30 that extends from the upper surface 21 to the lower surface 22 of the inspection sample portion 20.

[0032] In Embodiment 1, in the cutting groove forming step 103, the cutting device 40 rotates the cutting blade 43 around its axis and supplies cutting fluid to the cutting edge 44 of the cutting blade 43. In Embodiment 1, in the cutting groove forming step 103, as shown in Figure 5, the cutting device 40 causes the cutting edge 44 of the cutting blade 43, which rotates around its axis, to cut into the inspection sample portion 20 across the upper surface 21 and the lower surface 22, thereby forming a cutting groove 30 in the inspection sample portion 20. In Embodiment 1, in the cutting groove forming step 103, once the cutting device 40 has caused the cutting edge 44 of the cutting blade 43, which rotates around its axis, to cut into the inspection sample portion 20 and form a cutting groove 30, the cutting blade 43 is retracted from the inspection member 1.

[0033] (Inspection Steps) Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main part showing the state in which the inspection sample portion of the inspection member is imaged during the inspection step of the cutting blade tip shape inspection method shown in Figure 2. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the image of the inspection sample portion of the inspection member acquired during the inspection step of the cutting blade tip shape inspection method shown in Figure 2.

[0034] Inspection step 104 is a step in which the cutting groove 30 is imaged from the upper surface 21 or lower surface 22 of the inspection sample portion 20, and the shape of the cutting groove 30 is inspected from the imaged image 50. In Embodiment 1, in inspection step 104, the cutting device 40 positions the imaging unit 46 (microscope camera in Embodiment 1) above the upper surface 21 of the inspection sample portion 20 of the inspection member 1 held on the holding table 41.

[0035] In Embodiment 1, during inspection step 104, as shown in Figure 6, the cutting device 40 irradiates the holding table 41 with light 48 from a light source 47 located below the holding table 41, while the imaging unit 46 images the inspection sample portion 20 of the inspection member 1 held on the holding table 41 from the upper surface 21 side. In Embodiment 1, during inspection step 104, after the imaging unit 46 has taken the image, the cutting device 40 stops irradiating the light 48 from the light source 47 and retracts the imaging unit 46 from the holding table 41.

[0036] In Embodiment 1, during inspection step 104, the cutting device 40 displays the image 50 (shown in Figure 7) captured by the imaging unit 46 on the display unit. In Embodiment 1, during inspection step 104, the operator checks the shape of the cutting groove 30 in the image 50 shown in Figure 7 displayed on the display unit to understand (inspect) the cross-sectional shape of the cutting edge 45 of the cutting edge 44 of the cutting blade 43.

[0037] As described above, the inspection member 1 according to Embodiment 1 is equipped with a plate-shaped inspection sample portion 20 that protrudes from the outer circumference of the main body portion 10. Therefore, after forming a cutting groove 30 by cutting the cutting edge 45 of the cutting blade 44 of the cutting blade 43 into the inspection sample portion 20, the cutting groove 30 can be observed and inspected from the upper surface 21 side or the lower surface 22 side of the inspection sample portion 20 without changing the orientation of the inspection sample portion 20.

[0038] As a result, the inspection member 1 according to Embodiment 1 makes it possible to easily inspect the shape of the cutting edge 45 of the cutting blade 43 on the cutting device 40, and has the effect of being able to inspect the shape of the cutting edge 45 of the cutting blade 43 without complicating the device configuration of the cutting device 40.

[0039] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. That is, it can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the core of the present invention. In Embodiment 1 described above, the light source 47 is placed below the holding table 41, and the inspection sample portion 20 of the inspection member 1 in which the cutting groove 30 is formed is imaged from the upper surface 21 side by the imaging unit 46. However, in the present invention, the light source 47 may be placed above the holding table 41, and the inspection sample portion 20 of the inspection member 1 in which the cutting groove 30 is formed may be imaged from the lower surface 22 side by the imaging unit 46.

[0040] Furthermore, in the present invention, the holding table 41 is not limited to being made of a translucent material such as glass, but may be made of, for example, porous ceramics having a large number of pores. Also, in Embodiment 1, the inspection sample portion 20 of the inspection member 1 in which the cutting groove 30 is formed was imaged by the imaging unit 46 of the cutting device 40, but in the present invention, the inspection sample portion 20 of the inspection member 1 in which the cutting groove 30 is formed may be imaged by a microscope other than the imaging unit 46 of the cutting device 40. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1. Inspection member 10 Main body 20. Inspection Sample Section 21 Top side 22 Bottom side 30 Cutting groove 41 Holding Table 43 Cutting blades 45. Blade tip (tip) 50 images 102 Holding step 103 Cutting groove forming step 104 Inspection Steps

Claims

1. An inspection member for inspecting the tip shape of a cutting blade, The main body and A plate-shaped inspection sample section protruding from the outer circumference of the main body, An inspection member equipped with the following features.

2. A method for inspecting the tip shape of a cutting blade using the inspection member described in claim 1, A holding step in which the main body is held by a holding table, A cutting groove forming step involves inserting a rotating cutting blade into the inspection sample to form a cutting groove from the top surface to the bottom surface, An inspection step in which the cutting groove is imaged from the top or bottom side, and the shape of the cutting groove is inspected from the imaged image, A method for inspecting the tip shape of a cutting blade equipped with [a specific feature / feature].

Images