Processing equipment

Abstract

A processing device 10 processes a plate-shaped workpiece 90, the plate-thickness direction of which corresponds to a vertical direction, the processing device including: a control unit 11 that controls motion of the processing device 10; an accommodation unit 70 that accommodates the workpiece 90; discharge and intake units 110, 120 that have feed hands 113, 123 on which the workpiece 90 is placed and that perform discharge / intake of the workpiece 90 into / out of the accommodation unit 70; a processing unit 80 that processes the workpiece 90; a retaining unit 30 that retains an upper surface of the workpiece 90; and a shifting unit 50 that shifts the retaining unit 30 horizontally between the feed hands 113, 123 and the processing unit 80. The retaining unit 30, above the feed hands 113, 123, receives and hands over the workpiece 90 between the feed hands 113, 123, and the processing unit 80 processes the workpiece 90, retained by the retaining unit 30, from below.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] A processing device for processing a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer is known from the laser processing device described in Patent Document 1. The laser processing device (processing device) of Patent Document 1 transfers the workpiece stored in a cassette (storage section) to a temporary placement table using a robot hand. Next, the workpiece on the temporary placement table is transferred to a chuck table (holding section) using a suction pad, and the workpiece held on the chuck table is laser processed. The workpiece is transferred in the following order: cassette - robot hand - temporary placement table - suction pad - chuck table, and a total of four transfers are made before processing of the workpiece in the cassette begins. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2018-098363 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned laser processing device has the following problems. Since space is required for the temporary placement table, the processing device becomes larger and the installation space becomes larger. Also, if the number of transfers is large, it takes more time, which leads to a decrease in productivity. Furthermore, if the number of transfers is large, there are more opportunities for the workpiece to come into contact with other members or for the workpiece to be subjected to impact, which raises concerns about a decrease in yield. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The technology disclosed in this specification is a processing device that processes a plate-shaped workpiece whose thickness direction is in the vertical direction, and includes a control unit that controls the operation of the processing device, a storage unit that stores the workpiece, a loading / unloading unit that has a transport hand on which the workpiece is placed and that loads and unloads the workpiece from the storage unit, a processing unit that processes the workpiece, a holding unit that holds the upper surface of the workpiece, and a moving unit that moves the holding unit horizontally between the transport hand and the processing unit and also moves the holding unit relative to the processing unit when the processing unit processes the workpiece, wherein the holding unit is above the transport hand and transfers the workpiece between the transport hand and the processing unit, and the processing unit processes the workpiece held in the holding unit from below.

[0006] The holder can hold the top surface of the workpiece, and can therefore directly hold the workpiece placed on the transport hand. In addition, when the holder is holding the workpiece, the workpiece can be placed directly on the transport hand below by releasing the holder. This eliminates the need for a space to temporarily place the workpiece (hereinafter referred to as temporary placement space) when transferring the workpiece between the holder and the transport hand, making it possible to miniaturize the processing device and save space.

[0007] In addition, since the workpieces are handed over directly without going through a temporary storage space, the number of times the workpieces are handed over can be reduced, shortening the time until processing begins and the time until the workpieces are accommodated in the accommodation section after processing, thereby improving the productivity of the processing device.

[0008] Furthermore, by reducing the number of transfers, the opportunities for the workpiece to be subjected to impacts or to come into contact with other components are reduced, thereby suppressing damage to the workpiece and improving yield.

[0009] In addition, because the processing section processes the workpiece from below, dust generated during processing falls downward and is less likely to adhere to the workpiece. This keeps the workpiece clean, reduces contamination, and improves the yield of the workpiece. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, the transport hand that carries out the workpiece from the accommodation unit transfers the workpiece directly between the transport hand and the holder unit without using a temporary placement table, which makes the temporary placement table unnecessary and allows for a compact and space-saving processing device.

[0011] The workpieces are handed over between the storage section, the transport hand, and the holder. In this case, there are only two handovers before processing begins. This shortens the total time required for handovers, improving the productivity of the processing device. Furthermore, a reduction in the number of handovers reduces the chances that the workpieces will be damaged during handover, improving the yield of the workpieces. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1A] Plan view of processing equipment [Figure 1B] Front view of processing device [Figure 1C] Side view of processing device [Diagram 2] Processing equipment block diagram [Diagram 3] Front view of the holding part and processing part [Figure 4] Perspective view of the workpiece [Diagram 5] AA cross section of the workpiece [Figure 6] Plan of loading and unloading area [Figure 7] Side view of loading / unloading area [Figure 8] Side view of the provisional positioning unit [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart of a tilt calculation process in a wafer tilt correction process. [Figure 10] Bottom view of a semiconductor wafer [Figure 11] Graph showing the inclination of the device surface 91a [Figure 12] Graph showing the speed of the Xs and Zs axes when XsZs axis synchronous control is being executed [Figure 13] Flowchart of pre-calibration process [Figure 14] A diagram showing arbitrary measurement points Q1 to Q3 [Figure 15] Flowchart of processing in the processing device [Figure 16A] Supply process diagram [Figure 16B] Supply process diagram [Figure 16C] Supply process diagram [Figure 16D] Supply process diagram [Figure 16E] Supply process diagram [Figure 16F] Supply process diagram [Figure 16G] Supply process diagram [Figure 16H] Supply process diagram [Figure 16I] Supply process diagram [Figure 17A] Illustration of the containment process [Figure 17B] Illustration of the containment process [Figure 17C] Illustration of the containment process [Figure 17D] Illustration of the containment process [Figure 17E] Illustration of the containment process [Figure 17F] Illustration of the containment process [Figure 17G] Illustration of the containment process [Figure 17H] Illustration of the containment process [Figure 17I] Illustration of the containment process [Figure 18A] Overall processing diagram [Figure 18B] Overall processing diagram [Figure 18C] Overall processing diagram [Figure 18D] Overall processing diagram [Figure 18E]Overall processing diagram [Figure 18F] Overall processing diagram [Figure 18G] Overall processing diagram [Figure 18H] Overall processing diagram [Figure 19A] 1 is a plan view of a processing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 19B] FIG. 11 is a front view of a processing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 19C] 1 is a side view of a processing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 20] Plan of the 3rd loading / unloading area [Figure 21A] Side view of the 3rd loading / unloading area [Figure 21B] Side view of the 3rd loading / unloading section (Z3-axis moving section and Y3-axis moving section removed) [Figure 22] Flowchart of processing in the processing device [Figure 23A] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23B] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23C] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23D] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23E] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23F] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23G] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23H] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23I] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23J] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23K] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23L] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23M] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23N] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23O]Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 23P] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram [Figure 24A] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram (Plan View) [Figure 24B] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram (Plan View) [Figure 24C] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram (Plan View) [Figure 24D] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram (Plan View) [Figure 24E] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram (Plan View) [Figure 24F] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram (Plan View) [Figure 24G] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram (Plan View) [Fig. 24H] Supply - Processing - Storage Process Diagram (Plan View) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] <Outline of the processing equipment> A processing device for processing a plate-shaped workpiece whose thickness direction is in the vertical direction includes a control unit that controls the operation of the processing device, a storage unit that stores the workpiece, a loading / unloading unit having a transport hand on which the workpiece is placed and which loads and unloads the workpiece from the storage unit, a processing unit that processes the workpiece, a holding unit that holds the upper surface of the workpiece, and a moving unit that moves the holding unit horizontally between the transport hand and the processing unit and also moves the holding unit relative to the processing unit when the processing unit processes the workpiece, wherein the holding unit transfers the workpiece between the transport hand and the processing unit above the transport hand, and the processing unit processes the workpiece held in the holding unit from below.

[0014] In this configuration, when the workpiece is transferred from the transport hand to the holding part, the holding part holds the top surface of the workpiece placed on the transport hand. Also, when the workpiece is transferred from the holding part to the transport hand, the workpiece whose top surface is held by the holding part is placed on the transport hand. In other words, the workpiece can be directly transferred between the transport hand and the holding part.

[0015] This eliminates the need for temporary placement space between the transport hand and the holder, making it possible to reduce the size and space of the processing device.

[0016] In addition, because the workpieces are handed over directly without going through a temporary storage space, the number of times they need to be handed over is reduced. This reduces the time it takes to start processing the workpieces in the storage section and the time it takes to store the workpieces in the storage section after processing, improving the productivity of the processing device.

[0017] Furthermore, by reducing the number of transfers, the opportunities for the workpiece to be subjected to impacts or to come into contact with other components are reduced, thereby suppressing damage to the workpiece and improving yield.

[0018] In addition, because the processing section processes the workpiece from below, dust generated during processing falls downward and is less likely to adhere to the workpiece. This keeps the workpiece clean, reduces contamination, and improves the yield of the workpiece.

[0019] In addition, the loading / unloading section may include at least one clamping section, the clamping section having a pair of clamping members, and the pair of clamping members may clamp the sides of the workpiece placed on the transport hand from the outside, thereby positioning the workpiece on the transport hand.

[0020] In this configuration, the workpiece placed on the transport hand is positioned at a predetermined position on the transport hand by having the sides of the workpiece clamped from the outside by a pair of clamping members. Since the workpiece can be positioned on the transport hand, there is no need to provide a separate space for positioning, making it possible to make the processing device smaller and more space-saving.

[0021] In addition, by performing positioning on the transport hand, it is not necessary to transfer the workpiece to the positioning location, so the number of times the workpiece needs to be transferred can be reduced, thereby improving productivity and the yield of the workpieces.

[0022] Furthermore, the moving unit includes a first moving unit that moves the holding unit in a first direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, and a second moving unit that moves the holding unit in a second direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the first direction, the first direction being a processing direction when processing the workpiece, the second direction being a pitch feed direction of the workpiece, and the position where the holding unit transfers the workpiece between the conveying hand and the position of the holding unit when the processing unit processes the workpiece may be aligned in the first direction.

[0023] In general, the movement distance of the holding part is greater in the first direction in which the holding part is moved between the transfer position and the processing position than in the second direction in which the pitch feed is performed. Also, the processing direction in which the workpiece is processed and the direction in which the holding part moves between the transfer position and the processing position are the same first direction. Movement in the second direction, which is the pitch feed direction, requires higher positioning accuracy than in the first direction in order to process the workpiece with high accuracy.

[0024] In this way, it is possible to design the first moving part, which moves in the first direction, which is also the processing direction and has a relatively large moving distance, with an emphasis on moving speed and linearity. On the other hand, the second moving part, which moves in the second direction, only needs to place importance on positioning accuracy rather than moving speed and linearity, so that the first moving part and the second moving part can be designed rationally according to their respective roles, and the cost of the processing device can be reduced.

[0025] In addition, the direction in which the transport hand transports the workpiece in and out of the storage section may be the second direction, and the storage section may be arranged below the moving section so that it overlaps at least partially with the area that the moving section may occupy in a planar view.

[0026] As described above, the transfer position and the processing position are aligned in the first direction, and the distance that the holding unit moves between them is greater than the distance that the holding unit moves in the second direction (pitch feed direction). Therefore, the shape of the processing device excluding the storage unit is long in the first direction.

[0027] If the direction in which the workpiece is carried in and out of the storage unit is set to the first direction, the storage unit will be disposed on the first direction side of the transfer position, and the processing device including the storage unit will become even larger in the first direction.

[0028] On the other hand, in this configuration, the workpiece is carried in and out in the second direction. This allows the storage unit to be disposed on the second direction side of the transfer position, so the length of the processing device in the first direction does not increase even if the storage unit is added.

[0029] Furthermore, since the housing portion overlaps with an area that the moving portion can occupy in a plan view, the processing device can be prevented from becoming large in the second direction, which allows the processing device to be made compact.

[0030] In addition, the first moving portion may include a pair of parallel first guide portions extending in the first direction and aligned in the second direction, and the pair of first guide portions may support the holding portion so that the holding portion is movable in the first direction.

[0031] In this configuration, the holding part is supported by the pair of first guide parts, which firmly supports the holding part, suppressing wobbling and vibration. This makes it difficult for the workpiece held by the holding part to fall, and enables the holding part to move at high speed in the first direction.

[0032] In addition, the second moving portion may include a pair of parallel second guide portions extending in the second direction and aligned in the first direction, and the pair of second guide portions may support the first moving portion so that the first moving portion is movable in the second direction.

[0033] Because the first moving part is supported by a pair of second guide parts, the first moving part is firmly supported to reduce wobbling and to suppress vibration of the holding part supported by the first moving part. This stabilizes the posture of the holding part during movement in the second direction that performs pitch feed, making it possible to perform pitch feed with high accuracy.

[0034] The accommodation section may include a first accommodation section that accommodates the workpiece before processing, and a second accommodation section that accommodates the workpiece after processing, and the transport hand may include a first transport hand that carries the workpiece out of the first accommodation section and passes it to the holding section, and a second transport hand that receives the workpiece from the holding section and carries it into the second accommodation section.

[0035] In this way, after the holder delivers the processed workpiece to the second transport hand, it can immediately move onto the first transport hand and receive the unprocessed workpiece from the first transport hand without waiting for the processed workpiece to be accommodated in the accommodation part, thereby shortening the takt time of the processing device and improving productivity.

[0036] The loading / unloading section may further include an auxiliary hand on which the workpiece can be placed, and the auxiliary hand may receive the workpiece from the holding section and transfer the workpiece to the transport hand.

[0037] In this way, after the holding unit delivers the processed workpiece to the auxiliary hand, it can immediately move onto the transport hand and receive the unprocessed workpiece from the transport hand. In other words, the holding unit can hold the next workpiece to be processed and move to the processing unit without waiting for the processed workpiece to be stored in the storage unit. This shortens the takt time of the processing device and improves productivity.

[0038] In addition, the workpiece includes at least three plate surface measurement points on the plate surface, and the processing unit includes a camera that photographs each of the plate surface measurement points and measures the coordinates of each of the plate surface measurement points, and a third moving unit that moves the processing unit in the vertical direction, and the control unit may identify the plate surface based on the coordinates of each of the plate surface measurement points before processing, and perform processing by the processing unit while moving the processing unit to the third moving unit so that the distance between any point on the plate surface and the processing unit is constant.

[0039] In this way, processing can be performed while keeping the distance between any point on the plate surface and the processing unit constant using the third moving unit, which improves the vertical processing accuracy of the processing unit, reduces the number of times processing needs to be redone, and improves yield.

[0040] In addition, the holding unit may include at least three bottom surface measurement points on the bottom surface that holds the workpiece, the processing unit may include a camera that photographs each of the bottom surface measurement points and measures the coordinates of each of the bottom surface measurement points, and the control unit may identify the bottom surface based on the coordinates of each of the bottom surface measurement points and calculate the distance between any point on the bottom surface and the processing unit.

[0041] The bottom surface of the holder holds the top surface of the workpiece, and the holder and the workpiece are in contact with each other. The distance between any point on the bottom surface of the holder and the processing part calculated in this way is used as the initial value of the distance between the workpiece and the processing part at the start of processing. This allows the distance between the workpiece and the processing part to be measured in a short time.

[0042] <Embodiment 1> One embodiment of the technology disclosed in this specification will be described as embodiment 1 with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18H.

[0043] 1. Configuration of processing device 10 1.1 Overall structure As an example of a processing apparatus according to the present invention, a processing apparatus 10 is shown in Figs. 1A to 1C. The processing apparatus 10 is a laser dicing apparatus that irradiates a workpiece 90 with a pulsed laser to perform a dicing process. Figs. 1A to 1C are three-sided views, and are respectively a plan view, a front view, and a side view. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the processing apparatus 10.

[0044] The processing device 10 has a roughly rectangular shape that is long in the X direction in a plan view, and has a base 20, a holding unit 30 that holds the workpiece 90 from above, a moving unit 50 that is arranged on the base 20 and moves the holding unit 30 in the XY directions, a storage unit 70, a storage table 69 on which the storage unit 70 is placed, a processing unit 80 that processes the workpiece 90 from below, and a control unit 11 that controls the operations of these units in an integrated manner.

[0045] 2, the control unit 11 has an input / output unit 12 such as a keyboard and a display, a calculation unit (CPU) 13 that performs calculation processing, and a storage unit (RAM, ROM) 14 that stores control programs, measurement data, processing recipes, etc. The control unit 11 is a general computer.

[0046] In the following description, the vertical direction is the Z direction, the left-right direction (the long side direction of the processing device 10) in the plan view of Fig. 1A is the X direction, and the up-down direction (the short side direction of the processing device 10) is the Y direction. The X direction is an example of the "first direction," and the Y direction is an example of the "second direction." Also, the XY plane extending in the X and Y directions is considered to be a horizontal plane.

[0047] 1B, the base 20 has a rectangular plate-shaped base horizontal portion 21 and two base vertical portions 22. The base vertical portions 22 are formed so as to rise vertically upward from both ends in the X direction of the base horizontal portion 21, and a Ys-axis ball screw (an example of a "second guide portion") 52 is horizontally disposed and fixed to the upper end surface. In addition, a storage table 69 on which a storage portion 70 is placed is disposed on the base horizontal portion 21.

[0048] The storage table 69 is a rectangular parallelepiped table disposed on the base horizontal portion 21, and has a flat and horizontal upper surface 69a. Two storage units 70 (a first storage unit 71 and a second storage unit 72) are placed on the upper surface 69a side by side in the Y direction. The storage table 69 and the storage units 71 and 72 are all disposed below the moving unit 50.

[0049] The first storage section 71 is a rectangular parallelepiped box having an opening 71o on the front side in the Y direction, and has a space inside. Of the five faces constituting the internal space of the first storage section 71, two plate faces 71a and 71b facing each other in the X direction are formed with protrusions 73 that rise perpendicularly to the plate faces 71a and 71b.

[0050] By placing a plate-shaped workpiece 90 from above so as to bridge the gap between the convex portion 73 of the plate surface 71a and the convex portion 73 of the plate surface 71b, the workpiece 90 can be stored horizontally in the internal space of the first storage section 71. The six convex portions 73 are arranged at equal intervals in the vertical direction on each of the plate surfaces 71a and 71b, and the first storage section 71 of this embodiment can store six workpieces 90 without them touching each other. In this embodiment, a storage section that stores six workpieces 90 is illustrated as an example to simplify the drawings, but the number of workpieces 90 that can be stored in the storage section is not limited to six and may be more or less than six.

[0051] The second accommodating section 72 has the same configuration as the first accommodating section 71, has an opening 72o on the front side in the Y direction, and can accommodate six workpieces 90 in its internal space. In this embodiment, the first accommodating section 71 is an accommodating section that accommodates the workpieces 90 before processing, and the second accommodating section 72 is an accommodating section that accommodates the workpieces 90 after processing.

[0052] As the housing part 70, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) may be used. A FOUP is a commonly used container for accommodating a plurality of workpieces such as semiconductor wafers while spacing them apart so that they do not contact each other. Further, the FOUP is configured to be able to close the opening with a lid and be carried in a sealed state. Therefore, when using a FOUP, the transfer from the previous process to the processing apparatus 10 and then from the processing apparatus 10 to the subsequent process can be performed safely and reliably while preventing contamination and damage of the workpiece.

[0053] 1.2 Configuration of the moving part The moving part 50 has a function of moving the holding part 30, which will be described later, in the X direction and the Y direction, and includes a Ys-axis moving part (an example of the "second moving part") 51 that controls the movement in the Y direction and an Xs-axis moving part (an example of the "first moving part") 61 that controls the movement in the X direction.

[0054] <Ys-axis moving part> As shown in FIG. 1A, the Ys-axis moving part 51 includes two Ys-axis ball screws (an example of the "second guide part") 52 extending in the Y direction, four Ys-axis sliders 53 respectively screwed to the two Ys-axis ball screws 52 and capable of freely reciprocating in the Y direction, and two Y stages 54 joined to the two Ys-axis sliders 53 and bridging between the two Ys-axis ball screws 52. One unit is composed of two Ys-axis sliders 53 and one Y stage 54, and a pair of such units are provided at a predetermined interval in the Y direction.

[0055] The Ys-axis ball screws 52 are respectively provided one by one on the upper surface of the base vertical part 22 at both ends in the X direction of the processing apparatus 10, and a total of two extend in the Y direction. The Ys-axis ball screws 52 are rotated around the axis by a driving part (not shown).

[0056] The Ys-axis slider 53 has a nut (not shown) internally that engages with the Ys-axis ball screw 52, and is coupled to the Ys-axis ball screw 52 via this nut. By rotating the Ys-axis ball screw 52, the Ys-axis slider 53 can be moved in the Y direction, which is the axial direction. By appropriately controlling the rotation direction and rotation speed of the Ys-axis ball screw 52 by the drive unit, the Ys-axis slider 53 can be moved on the Ys-axis ball screw 52 at an arbitrary speed and in an arbitrary direction, and can also be stopped at an arbitrary position.

[0057] Two Ys-axis sliders 53 are screwed onto each of the two Ys-axis ball screws 52, and there are a total of four Ys-axis sliders 53 in the Ys-axis moving part 51. The rotation directions and rotation speeds of the two Ys-axis ball screws 52 are synchronized. As shown in Fig. 1A, the four Ys-axis sliders 53 reciprocate in the Y direction while maintaining the positional relationship where each is at a vertex of a rectangle.

[0058] As shown in Fig. 1C, the Y stage 54 is a bar-shaped member with an L-shaped cross-section extending in the X direction. A total of two Y stages 54 are arranged in such a way that they bridge between two Ys-axis sliders 53 with equal Y coordinates among the four Ys-axis sliders 53. The upper surface of the Ys-axis slider 53 and the lower surface of the Y stage 54 are joined so as not to have relative displacement. By rotating the Ys-axis ball screw 52, the two Y stages 54 reciprocate in the Y direction while maintaining a predetermined interval. The Xs-axis moving part 61 is placed on the two Y stages 54.

[0059] <Xs-axis moving part> The Xs-axis moving section 61 placed on the two Y stages 54 has a configuration in which the above-mentioned Ys-axis moving section 51 is rotated 90° in a plan view. That is, as shown in Fig. 1C, the Xs-axis moving section 61 has two Xs-axis ball screws (an example of a "first guide section") 62 extending in the X direction, and four Xs-axis sliders 63 that are respectively screwed into the two Xs-axis ball screws 62 and can freely reciprocate in the X direction. And, instead of the two Y stages, it has one XY stage 64 that is joined to the upper surfaces of the four Xs-axis sliders 63 and bridges between the two Xs-axis ball screws 62.

[0060] The Xs-axis ball screw 62 is provided on each Y stage 54 to extend in the X direction, which is the extension direction of the Y stage 54. The Xs-axis ball screw 62 is rotated around its axis by a drive unit (not shown).

[0061] The Xs-axis slider 63 has an internal nut that screws into the Xs-axis ball screw 62, and is coupled to the Xs-axis ball screw 62 via this nut. When the Xs-axis ball screw 62 is rotated, the Xs-axis slider 63 can be moved in the X direction, which is the axial direction. By appropriately controlling the direction of rotation and the number of rotations of the Xs-axis ball screw 62 by the drive unit, the Xs-axis slider 63 can be moved on the Xs-axis ball screw 62 at any speed and in any direction, and can be stopped at any position.

[0062] Two Xs-axis sliders 63 are screwed into each of the two Xs-axis ball screws 62, for a total of four Xs-axis sliders 63 in the Xs-axis moving section 61. The rotation directions and rotation speeds of the two Xs-axis ball screws 62 are synchronized, and as shown in Fig. 1A, the four Xs-axis sliders 63 are positioned so that they form the vertices of a rectangle, and they move back and forth in the X direction while maintaining this positional relationship.

[0063] <XYステージ> The XY stage 64 has a rectangular shape that is long in the Y direction in a plan view, and has a circular hole 64a in the center. A roller bearing 65 is fitted into the side of the hole 64a. The holding unit 30, which will be described later, is held by the roller bearing 65 in a state in which it can rotate around the Z axis extending in the Z direction relative to the XY stage 64.

[0064] The XY stage 64 is joined to the upper surface of the Xs-axis slider 63 at the four corners of its lower surface, and moves integrally with the movement in the X direction of the Xs-axis slider 63. The Xs-axis slider 63 is placed on the Y stage 54 which is movable in the Y direction, and moves integrally with the movement of the Y stage 54 in the Y direction.

[0065] With the above-mentioned configuration, the Ys-axis moving section 51 can move the Y stage 54 in the Y direction, and further, the Xs-axis moving section 61 can move the XY stage 64 in the X direction. The Xs-axis moving section 61 is placed on the Y stage 54. With this configuration, the moving section 50 can move the XY stage 64 to any position in the X and Y directions.

[0066] <Required performance for moving parts> The following describes the performance required for the Ys-axis moving section 51 and the Xs-axis moving section 61. The main performance required for each moving section 51, 61 includes three items: "straightness," "positioning accuracy," and "moving speed."

[0067] Straightness is the ability of each moving section 51, 61 to move an object to be moved (Y stage 54 or XY stage 64 in this embodiment) straight along its respective axial direction (Y direction or X direction). For example, if the straightness of the Xs-axis moving section 61 is low, the trajectory of the XY stage 64 will swing significantly in directions other than the X direction (mainly the Y direction) in the process of moving the XY stage 64 in the X direction. Conversely, if the straightness of the Xs-axis moving section 61 is high, the swing in the Y direction during movement in the X direction will be small, and the trajectory of the XY stage 64 will be more linear.

[0068] The positioning accuracy is the performance of each moving unit 51, 61 to move an object to a predetermined position with a small error. For example, when the positioning accuracy of the Xs-axis moving unit 61 is high, the XY stage 64 can be moved to a predetermined X coordinate position with a smaller error.

[0069] The moving speed is the speed at which each of the moving parts 51, 61 can move an object in the respective axial directions. For example, when the moving speed of the Xs-axis moving part 61 is high, the XY stage 64 can be moved in the X direction at high speed.

[0070] The Xs-axis moving section 61 and the Ys-axis moving section 51 have different required performance due to their different roles. In the processing device 10 of this embodiment, the Xs-axis moving section 61 is required to have linearity and a moving speed higher than the Ys-axis moving section 51, but is not required to have as high a positioning accuracy as the Ys-axis moving section 51. Also, the Ys-axis moving section 51 is required to have higher positioning accuracy than the Xs-axis moving section 61, but is not required to have as high a linearity and a moving speed as the Xs-axis moving section 61. The reasons for this are explained below.

[0071] The X direction is the processing direction. If the linearity of the Xs-axis moving part 61 is low, when the processing part 80 irradiates the workpiece 90, which moves in the X direction together with the holding part 30, with a laser, the irradiation position is likely to deviate from the target position in the Y direction, resulting in reduced processing accuracy. Therefore, in order to improve processing accuracy, the Xs-axis moving part 61 is required to have high linearity.

[0072] In addition, the X direction is the processing direction and also the direction connecting the transfer position and the processing position, and as described above, the moving distance between them is long. If it is possible to move a long distance at high speed, the time required for movement can be significantly reduced, and the productivity of the processing device 10 can be improved. Therefore, the moving speed of the Xs-axis moving part 61 is required to be high.

[0073] FIG. 10 shows the surface of a semiconductor wafer 91 included in the workpiece described later. As shown in FIG. 10, all processing lines 95 are arranged to cross the surface of the semiconductor wafer 91. During processing, the moving part only needs to irradiate the laser while moving at a constant speed from one end to the other end of one processing line 95, so high positioning accuracy is not required. Specifically, when processing along one processing line 95 connecting R1 and R2 in FIG. 10, the laser is irradiated continuously from R1 as the starting point to the end point R2. In the actual process, in order to leave no unprocessed parts, the laser irradiation is started before R1 (to the right of R1 in FIG. 10), and continues while moving the semiconductor wafer 91 in the X direction, and the laser irradiation is stopped after passing R2. In other words, the laser is irradiated over a distance longer in the X direction than the processing line 95 connecting R1 and R2. Therefore, even if the positioning accuracy of Xs-axis moving unit 61 is low and the position of semiconductor wafer 91 in the X direction is misaligned at the start of processing, processing can be performed from R1 to R2 without leaving any unprocessed portions because the distance of laser irradiation is longer than processing line 95. Therefore, the positioning accuracy of Xs-axis moving unit 61 does not require high accuracy as much as that of Ys-axis moving unit 51 described later.

[0074] On the other hand, as described above, the Y direction is the pitch feed direction. If the positioning accuracy of the Ys-axis moving unit 51 is high, accurate machining can be performed according to the intervals of the machining lines 95, and the machining accuracy is improved. Therefore, the Ys-axis moving unit 51 is required to have high positioning accuracy.

[0075] While the laser is irradiated to process semiconductor wafer 91, movement occurs only in the X direction (processing direction), and there is no movement in the Y direction. Also, as described above, the laser is irradiated over a longer distance in the X direction than processing line 95. Therefore, even if the linearity of Ys-axis moving part 51 is low and vibration occurs in the X direction, there is no effect on the processing accuracy, and high linearity is not required for Ys-axis moving part 51.

[0076] Furthermore, when processing of one processing line 95 is completed, the moving unit 50 moves the semiconductor wafer 91 so that the laser is irradiated to the start point of the next processing line 95 to be processed, and resumes processing. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 10, when processing from start point R1 to end point R2 is completed, the moving unit 50 moves the semiconductor wafer 91 and resumes processing from start point R3. By shortening the time required for movement in the section where laser irradiation is not performed (from end point R2 to start point R3), the productivity of the processing device 10 can be improved.

[0077] If the movement from R2 to R3 is separated into the X and Y directions, the movement in the Y direction is one pitch, and the movement distance in the Y direction is smaller than the movement distance in the X direction. If the movement speeds of the moving units 51 and 61 were the same, the movement in the Y direction would finish first. Since the movement in the Y direction only needs to be completed by the time the movement in the X direction finishes, the Ys-axis moving unit 51 is not required to have as much movement speed as the Xs-axis moving unit 61.

[0078] As described above, there are required performances and less required performances for the Ys-axis moving section 51 and the Xs-axis moving section 61. Therefore, when designing each moving section 51, 61, instead of improving all performances, by allocating costs to satisfy the performances required for each moving section 51, 61, it is possible to reduce costs and achieve a rational design.

[0079] In the processing device 10 according to this embodiment, the linearity of the Xs-axis moving section 61 is higher than that of the Ys-axis moving section 51. In this way, more linear processing can be performed along the processing direction, improving the processing accuracy. The positioning accuracy of the Ys-axis moving section 51 is higher than that of the Xs-axis moving section 61. In this way, accurate pitch feed can be performed, improving the processing accuracy of the workpiece 90. The movement speed of the Xs-axis moving section 61 is higher than that of the Ys-axis moving section 51. In this way, the time required for movement in the X direction is shortened, improving the productivity of the processing device 10.

[0080] 1.3 Configuration of the holding part Next, the holding unit 30 will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the holding unit 30 has a θ-axis motor 31, a rotor 32 coupled to an output shaft 31a of the θ-axis motor 31 so as to be freely rotatable in the θ direction, and a chuck head 33 joined to the lower surface of the rotor 32. The θ-axis is an axis coaxial with the output shaft 31a, and rotation in the θ direction refers to rotation around the θ-axis.

[0081] The θ-axis motor 31 is, for example, a DC motor, and receives an external supply of electric power to rotate the output shaft 31a. The direction of rotation of the output shaft 31a can be switched by changing the direction of the current.

[0082] The rotor 32 has a stepped cylindrical shape, and is joined at its upper end surface so as to be coaxial with the output shaft 31a. The rotor 32 fits into a hole 64a, and the diameter of the fitted portion is smaller than the diameter of the hole 64a of the XY stage 64. The side surface of the rotor 32 at the fitted portion is connected to the inner surface of the hole 64a via a roller bearing 65, so that the rotor 32 can freely rotate in the θ direction relative to the XY stage 64. The θ-axis motor 31 and the rotor 32 may be configured to be connected via a reducer.

[0083] The chuck head 33 is disk-shaped and is joined to the lower end surface of the rotor 32 in a position coaxial with the rotor 32 and the output shaft 31a. The suction chuck 34 fits snugly into a recess 33b provided in a bottom surface 33a of the chuck head 33. The suction chuck 34 is made of a porous material (e.g., porous ceramic) formed into a disk shape. The bottom surface 33a of the chuck head 33 and the bottom surface of the suction chuck 34 are flush with each other.

[0084] A suction passage 35 having an opening at the end on the recess 33b side is provided inside the rotor 32 and the chuck head 33. The other end of the suction passage 35 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). The control unit 11 can switch between negative pressure and positive pressure in the internal space of the suction passage 35 by using the vacuum pump.

[0085] When the suction passage 35 is put under negative pressure, an air flow from the bottom to the top is generated around the suction chuck 34 made of a porous material. At this time, if the workpiece 90 is in close contact with the bottom surface of the suction chuck 34, the workpiece 90 is adsorbed to the bottom surface and bottom surface 33a of the suction chuck 34 and held by the suction chuck 34. When the internal space of the suction passage 35 is switched to a positive pressure while the workpiece 90 is being held, the hold of the workpiece 90 can be released. In this way, the holder 30 holds and releases the workpiece 90 located below the bottom surface 33a at the bottom surface 33a.

[0086] 1.4 Workpiece composition The workpiece 90 is made up of a semiconductor wafer 91, a wafer ring 92, and a dicing tape 93. As shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, which is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of Fig. 4, both the semiconductor wafer 91 and the wafer ring 92 are attached to one side of the dicing tape 93, thereby constituting the workpiece 90.

[0087] The wafer ring 92 is a substantially circular stainless steel plate with a circular opening 92a with a diameter W2 formed in the center. The outer periphery of the wafer ring 92 is a shape in which a part of a circle is cut out in four places to form four sides. Two pairs of opposing sides are parallel to each other, and when adjacent sides are extended, they intersect at a right angle. The two opposing sides are spaced the same distance apart, which is the outer size W3 (see Figures 4 and 5).

[0088] An adhesive is applied to one surface of the dicing tape 93. The dicing tape 93 is attached so that the surface coated with the adhesive faces the plate surface of the wafer ring 92 and closes the opening 92a.

[0089] The semiconductor wafer 91 is formed by cutting a single crystal silicon ingot into a disk shape with a diameter W1 and forming a circuit pattern on one surface of the plate by a CVD method or the like. The surface on which the circuit pattern is formed is called the device surface 91a, and the other surface is called the grinding surface 91b. In this embodiment, the device surface 91a of the semiconductor wafer 91 is attached to the dicing tape 93 so as to face the dicing tape 93.

[0090] Fig. 10 is a bottom view of the semiconductor wafer 91 as viewed from the grinding surface 91b side. A plurality of rectangular semiconductor chips are formed in a matrix on the device surface 91a (the surface opposite to the surface visible in Fig. 10). The processing line 95 is a straight line including the side of the semiconductor chip 94, and is a line along which a laser is irradiated by the processing unit 80 described below. The processing line 95 extends to the outer edge of the semiconductor wafer 91 and intersects with other processing lines 95 at right angles.

[0091] The holding unit 30 holds the workpiece 90 with the dicing tape 93 facing upward and the semiconductor wafer 91 facing downward (see FIG. 5). That is, the bottom surface 33a of the chuck head 33 holds the workpiece 90 facing downward by adsorbing the surface of the dicing tape 93 on which no adhesive is applied from above. The processing unit 80, which will be described later, performs processing by irradiating a laser along a processing line 95 of the semiconductor wafer 91 from the grinding surface 91b side.

[0092] 1.5 Configuration of the processing section As shown in FIG. 3, the processing unit 80 has a Zs-axis moving unit (an example of a "third moving unit") 81, a laser oscillator 85, and a camera 86. The Zs-axis moving unit 81 has a function of moving the laser oscillator 85 in the Z direction. Specifically, the Zs-axis moving unit 81 has a Zs-axis ball screw 82 fixed to the base vertical unit 22 and extending in the Z direction, a Zs-axis slider 83 equipped with a nut that screws into the Zs-axis ball screw 82, and a Z stage 84 fixed to the Zs-axis slider 83. The laser oscillator 85 is fixed to the Z stage 84.

[0093] The configuration of the Zs-axis moving unit 81 is substantially the same as the configurations of the above-mentioned Ys-axis moving unit 51 and Xs-axis moving unit 61. That is, the control unit 11 can move the Zs-axis slider 83 in the Z direction by rotating the Zs-axis ball screw 82 about its axis using a drive unit (not shown). Since the Z stage 84 and the laser oscillator 85 are fixed to the Zs-axis slider 83, the Zs-axis moving unit 81 can move the laser oscillator 85 in the Z direction.

[0094] The laser oscillator 85 is a general laser oscillator, and oscillates a pulsed laser (hereinafter also simply referred to as a laser) having a wavelength (transmitted light) that has the property of being transmitted through the semiconductor wafer 91. The pulsed laser is focused inside the laser head 85a, and is irradiated from the upper end of the laser head 85a toward the grinding surface 91b of the semiconductor wafer 91 above. The pulsed laser forms a modified layer inside the semiconductor wafer 91 without changing the surface state of the grinding surface 91b.

[0095] Camera 86 is disposed near laser head 85a and faces upward in the same direction as the laser irradiation direction. Camera 86 detects an arbitrary measurement point set on the circuit pattern of semiconductor wafer 91, and transmits the coordinates (Xs, Ys, Zs) to control unit 11. Control unit 11 calculates the relative positional relationship between laser head 85a and semiconductor wafer 91 based on the coordinates of the measurement point. Then, control unit 11 controls Ys-axis moving unit 51, Xs-axis moving unit 61, and Zs-axis moving unit 81 so that processing unit 80 can irradiate the laser along processing line 95 of semiconductor wafer 91.

[0096] As described above, the semiconductor wafer 91 is held with the grinding surface 91b facing downward. Therefore, if the camera 86 detects only visible light, it cannot recognize the circuit pattern on the device surface 91a formed on the surface opposite to the camera 86. Therefore, in this embodiment, an infrared camera is used as the camera 86. Since infrared light has the property of penetrating the semiconductor wafer 91 made of silicon, the camera 86 can photograph the circuit pattern formed on the device surface 91a from the grinding surface 91b side. In addition, a specific pattern set in advance can be recognized from the photographed image, and the coordinates (Xs, Ys, Zs) where the pattern exists can be transmitted to the control unit 11 together with the image.

[0097] With the above-described configuration, the processing unit 80 irradiates the grinding surface 91b of the semiconductor wafer 91 with a laser from below, forming a modified layer inside the semiconductor wafer 91 without changing the surface state of the semiconductor wafer 91. By moving the holding unit 30 in the X direction while irradiating the laser, a modified layer can be formed along the processing line 95.

[0098] When the processing of one processing line 95 is completed, the Xs-axis moving unit 61 and the Ys-axis moving unit 51 move the holding unit 30, and the processing unit 80 sequentially processes the other processing lines 95. Specifically, when the processing from R1 to R2 shown in FIG. 10 is completed, the laser irradiation is stopped and the holding unit 30 is moved to process R3 to R4. Next, similarly, processing from R5 to R6 is performed. In this manner, the processing unit 80 sequentially processes along the X-direction processing lines in FIG. 10. When the processing of all the X-direction processing lines 95 is completed, the workpiece 90 is rotated 90° by the θ-axis motor 31, and the unprocessed processing lines 95 are sequentially processed in the same manner as described above.

[0099] In this manner, the processing unit 80 processes all the processing lines 95 of the semiconductor wafer 91 to form modified layers along the processing lines 95. The processing start position, end position, rotation angle in the θ direction, and the like are determined by the control unit 11 based on the image and coordinates recognized by the camera 86 and the recipe stored in the memory unit 14.

[0100] Next, the expanding process will be briefly described. When the modified layer is formed, minute cracks are generated inside the semiconductor wafer 91 from the modified layer toward the plate surface of the semiconductor wafer 91. By stretching the dicing tape 93 to apply tensile stress to the semiconductor wafer 91, the cracks spread from the modified layer, and the semiconductor wafer 91 is separated with the modified layer along the processing line 95 as the separation boundary. In this way, individual semiconductor chips 94 can be obtained. This is the expanding process. The expanding process is not performed by the processing device 10, but is performed by other devices in a subsequent process.

[0101] As described above, the processing unit 80 irradiates the laser along the processing line 95 to form a modified layer that becomes the separation boundary of each semiconductor chip 94. In addition, since the processing unit 80 is a part that irradiates the semiconductor wafer 91 with the laser, it is also called an irradiation unit.

[0102] 1.6 Configuration of loading / unloading area Next, a description will be given of the loading / unloading section that loads and unloads the workpiece 90 from the accommodation section 70. The processing device 10 has two loading / unloading sections, the first loading / unloading section 110 on the left side of FIG. 1A and the second loading / unloading section 120 on the right side. These are each an example of a "loading / unloading section" and have the same configuration. The configuration of the first loading / unloading section 110 will be described below.

[0103] 6 and 7, the first loading / unloading section 110 has a Z1-axis moving section 111, a Y1-axis moving section 112, a first transport hand (an example of a "transport hand") 113, and a temporary positioning unit 130. The Y1-axis and Z1-axis are axes along which the first transport hand 113 moves, and are parallel to the Y-axis and Z-axis, respectively.

[0104] The Z1-axis moving part 111 has a Z1-axis ball screw 111a fixed to the horizontal base part 21 and extending in the Z direction, a Z1-axis slider 111b equipped with a nut that screws into the Z1-axis ball screw 111a, and a Z1 stage 111c fixed to the Z1-axis slider 111b. A Y1-axis moving part 112 and a provisional positioning unit 130, which will be described later, are disposed on the Z1 stage 111c.

[0105] The configuration of the Z1-axis moving part 111 is substantially the same as that of the Zs-axis moving part 81 described above. That is, the control part 11 can rotate the Z1-axis ball screw 111a around its axis by a drive part (not shown) to move the Z1-axis slider 111b in the Z direction. Since the Z1 stage 111c is fixed to the Z1-axis slider 111b, by operating the Z1-axis moving part 111, the Y1-axis moving part 112 and the temporary positioning unit 130 arranged on the Z1 stage 111c move in the Z direction.

[0106] The Y1-axis moving section 112 is fixed to the upper surface of the Z1 stage 111c and has a Y1-axis ball screw 112a extending in the Y direction, and a Y1-axis slider 112b equipped with a nut that screws into the Y1-axis ball screw 112a.

[0107] Similar to the Z1-axis moving unit 111 described above, the control unit 11 can move the Y1-axis slider 112b in the Y direction by rotating the Y1-axis ball screw 112a around its axis using a drive unit (not shown). The control unit 11 can freely move the Y1-axis slider 112b in the YZ directions by operating the Z1-axis moving unit 111 and the Y1-axis moving unit 112.

[0108] <Transport hand> 6, the first transport hand 113 is a metal plate having an approximately Y-shape and is made of, for example, stainless steel. A base end 113a of the first transport hand 113 is joined to the upper surface of the Y1-axis slider 112b. Therefore, the Y1-axis slider 112b and the first transport hand 113 move together.

[0109] The tip 113b of the first transport hand 113 is branched into two, each of which extends in the Y direction. The distance between the inner sides of the tips 113b is L1, the distance between the outer sides is L2, and the length of the tips 113b in the Y direction is L3. The conditions required for these dimensions will be described below.

[0110] The distance L1 between the inner sides of the tip portions 113b is set to be larger than the diameter W1 of the semiconductor wafer 91. In this way, when the workpiece 90 is placed on the upper surface of the first transport hand 113, if the center of the two branches of the tip portion 113b overlaps with the center of the semiconductor wafer 91, the first transport hand 113 will not come into contact with the semiconductor wafer 91.

[0111] Furthermore, the distance L2 between the outer sides of the tip portions 113b and the length L3 in the Y direction are smaller than the outer size W3 of the wafer ring 92. In this way, when the workpiece 90 is placed on the upper surface of the first transport hand 113, at least a part of the workpiece 90 protrudes from the outer periphery of the tip portions 113b in a plan view. By further clamping the protruding part of the workpiece 90 from the outside, it becomes possible to perform provisional positioning by the provisional positioning unit 130, which will be described later.

[0112] The above is the configuration of the first loading / unloading section 110. The second loading / unloading section 120 has the same configuration as the first loading / unloading section 110, so a detailed description will be omitted. The movement axes of the second transport hand (an example of a "transport hand") 123 of the second loading / unloading section 120 are the Y2 axis and the Z2 axis, respectively. The second loading / unloading section 120 has a Z2 axis movement section 121, a Y2 axis movement section 122, and a second transport hand 123.

[0113] 1.7 Configuration of the provisional positioning unit The temporary positioning unit 130 moves the workpiece 90 on the first transport hand 113 to a predetermined position (usually the center of the tip 113b) on the first transport hand 113. As shown in Fig. 8, the temporary positioning unit 130 has an upper and lower stage 131, a cylinder 132, a Y clamping portion 133, and an X clamping portion 137 (see Fig. 6). The Y clamping portion 133 and the X clamping portion 137 are each an example of a "clamping portion".

[0114] The cylinder 132 is a typical air cylinder, and is composed of a cylindrical cylinder body 132a and a rod 132b that is fitted into the cylinder body 132a and displaced in the axial direction of the cylinder body 132a. A plurality of cylinder bodies 132a are embedded in the Z1 stage 111c with the rod 132b facing upward. Each of the plurality of cylinders 132 is connected to an air supply path and an air pump (not shown). The control unit 11 can simultaneously move the rods 132b of the plurality of cylinders 132 up and down by switching the air pressure in the air supply path between positive pressure and negative pressure.

[0115] The vertical stage 131 is a plate-shaped stage joined to the upper ends of the multiple rods 132b. When the control unit 11 changes the air pressure in the air supply path to positive pressure, the multiple cylinders 132 simultaneously expand upward, and the vertical stage 131 moves upward. When the air pressure is switched to negative pressure, the multiple cylinders 132 simultaneously contract, and the vertical stage 131 moves downward.

[0116] A Y clamping portion 133 and an X clamping portion 137 are disposed on an upper surface 131a of the vertical stage 131.

[0117] Y clamping section 133 has a parallel chuck 134, a Y clamping member 135, a guide rail 135c, and a guide block 135d. Y clamping member 135 and X clamping member 138, which will be described later, are each an example of a "pair of clamping members."

[0118] The parallel chuck 134 has a main body 134a with two cylinders arranged in opposite directions inside, and a pair of claws 134b, 134c. The main body 134a is connected to an air supply path and an air pump (not shown). The pair of claws 134b, 134c are arranged at both ends of the main body 134a, and when the control unit 11 switches the air pressure in the air supply path to positive pressure or negative pressure, the gap between the claws 134b, 134c can be widened or narrowed. At this time, the claws 134b, 134c move the same distance in opposite directions.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 8, the Y clamping member 135 is composed of two clamping members 135a and 135b that are L-shaped when viewed from the X direction. The clamping member 135a is composed of a horizontal portion 135a1 and a vertical portion 135a2, and one end of the horizontal portion 135a1 is connected to the claw portion 134c. The vertical portion 135a2 rises vertically from the other end of the horizontal portion 135a1. In addition, a guide block 135d is connected to the lower surface of the horizontal portion 135a1. The guide block 135d is in sliding engagement with a guide rail 135c that is provided on the upper surface 131a of the vertical stage 131 and extends in the Y direction. Therefore, the guide block 135d and the clamping member 135a connected to the guide block 135d can move in the Y direction on the guide rail 135c.

[0120] The other clamping member 135b is also made up of a horizontal portion 135b1 and a vertical portion 135b2, has a similar configuration to the clamping member 135a but in the opposite direction, and is capable of moving in the Y direction.

[0121] The Y clamping unit 133 operates as follows. When the control unit 11 operates the parallel chuck 134, the Y clamping member 135 can widen or narrow the gap between the clamping members 135a and 135b in the Y direction. As shown in FIG. 8, with the gap between the clamping members 135a and 135b widened, the first transport hand 113 with the workpiece 90 placed thereon is disposed between the two vertical parts 135a2 and 135b2. Next, when the gap between the clamping members 135a and 135b is narrowed, the workpiece 90 can be clamped between the respective vertical parts 135a2 and 135b2. Since the two claws 134b and 134c move the same distance in the opposite directions, the clamping members 135a and 135b clamp the workpiece 90, and the workpiece 90 can be moved to a predetermined position in the Y direction on the first transport hand 113. After the workpiece 90 has been moved, the gap between the clamping members 135a, 135b is widened to release the clamped state of the workpiece 90.

[0122] X clamping unit 137 has a configuration in which Y clamping unit 133 is rotated 90° in a plan view, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. X clamping unit 137 has X clamping members 138a, 138b (an example of a "pair of clamping members"), and can move workpiece 90 to a predetermined position in the X direction on first transport hand 113 by clamping workpiece 90 between vertical portions 138a2, 138b2 of each clamping member.

[0123] As described above, the temporary positioning unit 130 can perform temporary positioning by clamping the workpiece 90 with the Y clamping member 135 and the X clamping member 138, thereby moving the workpiece 90 to a predetermined position on the first transport hand 113. The temporary positioning in this embodiment is performed by moving the workpiece 90 so that the center of the semiconductor wafer 91 and the center of the tip 113b of the first transport hand 113 coincide with each other, and is also called centering.

[0124] 1.8 Explanation of wafer tilt correction process As described above, the processing device 10 performs processing along the lattice-shaped processing lines 95 by irradiating the workpiece 90 held by the holder 30 with a laser from below while moving the holder 30 in the X direction. When performing such processing with high precision, it is important to control with high precision the positional relationship between the laser head 85a that irradiates the laser and the surface of the semiconductor wafer 91 (here, device surface 91a).

[0125] Therefore, the processing device 10 performs a wafer tilt correction process in order to keep the distance F between the laser head 85a and the device surface 91a constant.

[0126] In a state where the device surface 91a is tilted with respect to the X-axis, when the semiconductor wafer 91 is moved in the X-direction, the distance F changes with the movement in the X-direction. If the distance F changes, the depth at which the laser is focused inside the semiconductor wafer 91 may change, or the laser may not be focused inside the semiconductor wafer 91, making it impossible to form a modified layer.

[0127] Therefore, as a wafer tilt correction process, the tilt of the semiconductor wafer 91 is obtained before the laser irradiation, and the laser oscillator 85 is moved in the Z direction along the obtained tilt to keep the distance F between the laser head 85a and the device surface 91a constant. The wafer tilt correction process will be specifically described below with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 9 and Figs. 10 to 12.

[0128] The wafer tilt correction process first performs a “wafer tilt calculation process,” and then performs “XsZs axis synchronization control.” The wafer tilt calculation process will be described below.

[0129] <Wafer tilt calculation process> As shown in Fig. 10, arbitrary measurement points P1, P2, and P3 are set in advance in a pattern to be formed on the device surface 91a. The measurement points P1 to P3 are not three points aligned in a straight line on the device surface 91a, but three points that can be the vertices of a triangle are set. Also, the greater the distance between each measurement point, the more accurately the inclination can be calculated. An example of the measurement points P1 to P3 on the device surface 91a is shown in Fig. 10.

[0130] The XYZ coordinates of each of the measurement points P1 to P3 when the device surface 91a is assumed to be in an ideal state where it is completely parallel to the X-axis and Y-axis are taken as reference coordinates. Specific values ​​of the reference coordinates can be calculated from the design positions of the measurement points P1 to P3 on the semiconductor wafer 91, and are stored in the storage unit 14.

[0131] When the control unit 11 starts the wafer inclination calculation process, the control unit 11 determines whether or not it is immediately after a semiconductor wafer 91 (workpiece 90) has been supplied to the holding unit 30, or immediately after the θ-axis motor 31 has rotated the rotating body 32 by 45° or more.

[0132] If the semiconductor wafer 91 has just been supplied or rotated in the θ direction (S81: YES), the following process is continued since the tilt of the device surface 91a is unknown or is likely to have shifted since the previous tilt correction. Otherwise (S81: NO), the XsZs axis synchronization control, which will be described later, is performed based on the same tilt as the previous correction, and the wafer tilt calculation process is terminated.

[0133] If the answer is YES in S81, then the control unit 11 moves the holding unit 30 in the X and Y directions so that the measurement point P1 is within the field of view of the camera 86. The control unit 11 performs a contrast method using the Zs axis on the image captured by the camera 86, and measures the measurement coordinates (Xs1, Ys1, Zs1) of the measurement point P1 from the positions on the Xs axis, Ys axis, and Zs axis (S82).

[0134] Next, the control unit 11 compares the reference coordinates of the measurement point P1 with the coordinates measured in S82, and calculates the amounts of deviation ΔXs1, ΔYs1, and ΔZs1 from the reference coordinates (S83).

[0135] At the measurement point P2, the same measurement as at the measurement point P1 is performed (S84), and the control unit 11 calculates the deviation amounts ΔXs2, ΔYs2, and ΔZs2 from the reference coordinates, respectively (S85).

[0136] From the deviation amounts (ΔXs1, ΔYs1) and (ΔXs2, ΔYs2) obtained in this way, it can be seen how much the measurement points P1 and P2 are deviated from the reference coordinates with respect to the X-axis and the Y-axis, respectively. Also, the angle formed by the line segment P1P2 of the reference coordinates and the line segment P1P2 of the measurement coordinates is the deviation amount Δθ in the θ direction of the device surface 91a (S86).

[0137] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the deviation amount Δθ is within a predetermined tolerance Δθ0 (S87). If the deviation amount Δθ is greater than the tolerance Δθ0 (S87: NO), the control unit 11 corrects the θ-axis so that Δθ becomes 0.

[0138] Specifically, the control unit 11 drives the θ-axis motor 31 to rotate the rotating body 32 by -Δθ. As a result, the deviation amount Δθ is canceled, and in order to confirm this, the process returns to S82 again, the coordinates of the measurement points P1 and P2 are measured, and the deviation amounts ΔXs1, etc. are calculated.

[0139] On the other hand, when the deviation amount Δθ is smaller than the tolerance Δθ0 (S87: YES), the control unit 11 measures the XYZ coordinates of the measurement point P3 (S89) and calculates the deviation amounts ΔXs3, ΔYs3, and ΔZs3 (S90).

[0140] As a result, since the coordinates of the three measurement points P1 to P3 on the device surface 91a are all obtained, the control unit 11 can uniquely identify the device surface 91a and calculate the inclination. Then, the wafer inclination calculation process ends.

[0141] <XsZs Axis Synchronization Control> Next, the control unit 11 executes XsZs axis synchronization control. The device surface 91a has already been specified, and the Z coordinate and X coordinate of the device surface 91a relative to the Zs axis and the Xs axis can be expressed by a line segment as shown in Fig. 11. Therefore, when machining is performed while moving the holding unit 30 in the X direction, in order to keep the distance F constant, it is preferable to move the laser head 85a in the Z direction in accordance with this line segment.

[0142] When XsZs axes synchronous control is performed, the relationship between the X-direction moving speed Vx(t) of the holding part 30 and the semiconductor wafer 91 moving integrally therewith, and the Z-direction moving speed Vz(t) of the laser head 85a is expressed by the following formula (1). a is the reciprocal of the slope of the line segment in Fig. 11. Moreover, when the values ​​of the speeds Vx(t) and Vz(t) before and after processing are plotted with the horizontal axis being time and the vertical axis being speed, the result is as shown in Fig. 12. Vx(t) = a × Vz(t) (1)

[0143] 12, the movement of the holding part 30 in the Xs-axis direction and the movement of the laser head 85a in the Zs-axis direction are started at time t = 0, and the speed is plotted from when the movement starts to accelerate and then when the processing is completed, the movement is decelerated and stopped. Therefore, the flat portion in the graph is the processing section, during which the laser head 85a irradiates the semiconductor wafer 91 with the laser.

[0144] In this way, from the beginning to the end of the processing section where the laser is irradiated, the speeds Vx(t) and Vz(t) are both constant while satisfying formula (1). In other words, the semiconductor wafer 91 tilted at a tilt of 1 / a moves in the Xs-axis direction at a constant speed Vx(t), and the laser head 85a moves in the Zs-axis direction relative to the semiconductor wafer 91 at a constant speed Vz(t) = Vx(t) / a. Therefore, when Xs-Zs-axis synchronous control is performed, the value of the distance F is constant from the beginning to the end of the processing section.

[0145] The wafer tilt correction process, which is composed of the wafer tilt calculation process and the XsZs axis synchronization control, is performed as described above. As a result, even if the device surface 91a is tilted, the tilt can be corrected and the distance F can be kept constant in the processing section where the laser is ON. This wafer tilt correction process is performed every time before processing is performed, improving the processing accuracy in the Zs axis direction. 1.9 Pre-calibration process description In the above-described wafer tilt correction process, measurement points P1 to P3 are provided on the device surface 91a, and the tilt of the device surface 91a is calculated based on the measurement coordinates of each of the measurement points P1 to P3. Before performing this wafer tilt correction process, a pre-calibration process may be performed between the processing unit 80 and the holder 30.

[0146] The pre-calibration process is a process for uniquely identifying the bottom surface 33a of the chuck head 33 and estimating the Z coordinates of the measurement points P1 to P3 on the device surface 91a based on the identified bottom surface 33a. By estimating the Z coordinates of the measurement points P1 to P3 in advance, the measurement of the Z coordinates in the wafer tilt correction process can be performed in a short time. A specific flow will be described below.

[0147] A specific flow is shown in Fig. 13, which is almost the same as the wafer inclination calculation process (Fig. 9) of the wafer inclination correction process described above. That is, arbitrary measurement points Q1 to Q3 as shown in Fig. 14 are set in advance on the bottom surface 33a. Then, the control unit 11 first obtains the deviation amount Δθ in the θ direction from the measured coordinates of the two points (Q1, Q2), and corrects θ so that Δθ becomes 0 (start to S108).

[0148] Next, the control unit 11 measures the coordinates of the measurement point Q3, and uniquely identifies the bottom surface 33a from the three measurement points Q1 to Q3 (S109 to END).

[0149] By identifying the bottom surface 33a, it is possible to calculate the Z coordinate of a point having any XY coordinate on the bottom surface 33a. The bottom surface 33a and the device surface 91a are very close to each other as shown in Fig. 3, with only the dicing tape 93 sandwiched between them. Therefore, by calculating the Z coordinate on the bottom surface 33a, it is possible to obtain a value close to the Z coordinate of the measurement points P1 to P3 set on the device surface 91a.

[0150] The pre-calibration process may be performed before the workpiece 90 is held on the bottom surface 33a, or, as in this embodiment, may be performed after the workpiece 90 is held and before the wafer tilt correction process is performed.

[0151] 2. Operation flow 15 is a flowchart for explaining the processing performed by the entire processing apparatus 10. In the actual processing apparatus 10, each process is executed in parallel, but below, the process is explained by dividing it into a supply process (S11-S17) mainly performed in the first loading / unloading section 110, a storage process (S31-S37) mainly performed in the second loading / unloading section 120, and an overall process that adds the above processes and a processing process (S21-S29) performed in processing section 80.

[0152] 2.1 Supply Process Description The supply process is a process of supplying the unprocessed workpiece 90 accommodated in the first accommodation section 71 to the chuck head 33 of the holder 30 using the first transport hand 113 of the first carry-in / out section 110. Hereinafter, S11 to S17, which are one cycle of the supply process, will be described.

[0153] 16A shows the initial state of the first loading / unloading section 110. A plurality of workpieces 90 are accommodated at intervals in the Z direction in the internal space of the first accommodation section 71. The control section 11 operates the Z1-axis movement section 111 to move the first transport hand 113 so that the height of the first transport hand 113 is slightly lower than the bottom surface of the workpiece 90 to be supplied to the holding section 30.

[0154] The control unit 11 operates the Y1-axis moving unit 112 to insert the first transport hand 113 into the first storage unit 71 so that the tip 113b of the first transport hand 113 does not come into contact with the workpiece 90 (FIG. 16B, S11).

[0155] The control unit 11 raises the first transport hand 113. The workpiece 90 is lifted by the tip portion 113b, and the workpiece 90 is placed on the upper surface of the tip portion 113b (FIG. 16C, S12).

[0156] The control unit 11 pulls out the first transport hand 113 from the first accommodation unit 71 with the workpiece 90 placed on the tip portion 113b (FIG. 16D, S13). At this time, the workpiece 90 is disposed at a position surrounded by the two vertical portions 135a2 and 135b2 of the Y clamping portion 133 and the two vertical portions 138a2 and 138b2 of the X clamping portion 137 in a plan view, as shown in FIG.

[0157] The control unit 11 operates the cylinder 132 to raise the vertical stage 131. Together with the vertical stage 131, the Y clamping unit 133 and the X clamping unit 137 also rise, and the upper ends of the vertical parts of the Y clamping unit 133 and the X clamping unit 137 become higher than the workpiece 90 (FIG. 16E, S14).

[0158] Next, Y clamping unit 133 is operated. Y clamping unit 133 clamps the sides of workpiece 90 from both sides, and performs temporary positioning in the Y direction (FIG. 16F). Next, a similar operation is performed in X clamping unit 137, and positioning in the X direction is performed (FIG. 16G). This moves workpiece 90 to a predetermined position at tip 113b of first transport hand 113. Then, control unit 11 operates cylinder 132 to lower vertical stage 131 (FIG. 16H). This completes temporary positioning.

[0159] Next, the control unit 11 operates the Xs-axis moving unit 61 and the Ys-axis moving unit 51 to move the chuck head 33 to a predetermined transfer position (first transfer position) (S28). The first transfer position is directly above the tip 113b. After the chuck head 33 arrives at the first transfer position, the first transport hand 113 is raised to the first transfer position (S15), and the vacuum suction of the chuck head 33 is turned on (S16). As a result, the chuck head 33 suctions and holds the upper surface of the workpiece 90 with its bottom surface 33a (FIG. 16I). In order to determine whether or not the workpiece 90 has been reliably suctioned and held, an air pressure sensor (not shown) is provided in the holding unit 30 and monitors the air pressure in the suction passage 35. A decrease in air pressure indicated by the air pressure sensor indicates that the chuck head 33 has held the workpiece 90.

[0160] After confirming that the chuck head 33 is holding the workpiece 90 based on a drop in pressure indicated by the air pressure sensor, the control unit 11 lowers the now empty first transport hand 113 to the height of the next workpiece 90 to be supplied to the chuck head 33 (S17), and inserts the first transport hand 113 into the first storage unit 71 (S11, FIG. 16B). This completes one cycle of the supply process by the first carry-in / out unit 110.

[0161] Since the second loading / unloading section 120 has the same configuration as the first loading / unloading section 110, the second loading / unloading section 120 can also perform the supply process.

[0162] 2.2 Description of containment procedures Next, the accommodation process will be described. The accommodation process is a process in which the processed workpiece 90 held by the chuck head 33 is accommodated in the second accommodation section 72 using the second transport hand 123 of the second carry-in / out section 120. Hereinafter, S31 to S37, which are one cycle of the accommodation process, will be described.

[0163] The initial state of the second loading / unloading section 120 is shown in Fig. 17A. Five processed workpieces 90 are already stored in the internal space of the second loading / unloading section 120, but the topmost storage position is empty, so the workpiece 90 is stored there. The control section 11 operates the Z2-axis moving section 121 and the Y2-axis moving section 122 so that the second transport hand 123 is positioned directly below a predetermined transfer position (second transfer position). At this time, in order to avoid a collision between the chuck head 33 and the second transport hand 123, the second transport hand 123 waits below the second transfer position (Fig. 17A, S31).

[0164] Next, the control unit 11 moves the chuck head 33 holding the processed workpiece 90 to the second transfer position. After confirming that the chuck head 33 has arrived at the second transfer position, the control unit 11 raises the second transport hand 123 to the second transfer position (FIG. 17B, S32) and turns off the vacuum of the chuck head 33 (S33). Then, the workpiece 90 is released from its hold, and the workpiece 90 is placed on the second transport hand 123.

[0165] After the control unit 11 confirms that the air pressure in the suction passage 35, measured by an air pressure sensor not shown, has returned to normal pressure, it lowers the second transport hand 123 on which the processed workpiece 90 is placed, and stops it at a position slightly higher than the uppermost storage position (Figure 17C, S34).

[0166] The now empty chuck head 33 moves to the first delivery position and receives the workpiece 90 from the first transport hand 113 (S28, S15).

[0167] Next, the control unit 11 operates the temporary positioning unit 130 of the second carry-in / out unit 120 to perform temporary positioning of the workpiece 90 at the tip 123b on the second transport hand 123 (FIGS. 17D to 17G, S35). By performing positioning before storing the workpiece 90 in the second storage unit 72, it is possible to prevent the workpiece 90 from contacting the wall of the second storage unit 72 and falling during storage, which would cause damage to the processed semiconductor wafer 91. The details of the temporary positioning are the same as those of the supply operation described above, and therefore will not be described.

[0168] The control unit 11 inserts the second transport hand 123 into the second storage unit 72 (FIG. 17H, S36). Next, the second transport hand 123 is lowered, the workpiece 90 is placed on the protrusion 73 inside the second storage unit 72 (FIG. 17I, S37), and the second transport hand 123 is pulled out. Thereafter, the control unit 11 moves the second transport hand 123 to the second transfer position (S31) and keeps it on standby. This completes one cycle of the storage process by the second carry-in / out unit 120.

[0169] Since the first loading / unloading section 110 has the same configuration as the second loading / unloading section 120, the first loading / unloading section 110 can also perform the supply process.

[0170] 2.3 Overall process description Next, the processing performed by the entire processing device 10, which includes the processing of performing laser processing by the processing unit 80 in addition to the above-mentioned supplying process and storing process, will be described with reference to Figs. 18A to 18H.

[0171] 18A, the first loading / unloading section 110 and the second loading / unloading section 120 are in the same state as the initial state (FIGS. 16A, 17A) of the supply process and the storage process described above. Also, the position of the chuck head 33 is directly above the laser oscillator 85 (hereinafter, referred to as the processing position) as shown in FIG. 1B, but the chuck head 33 is not holding the workpiece 90.

[0172] When the entire process is started (START), the control unit 11 first executes the above-mentioned supply process. Specifically, the first transport hand 113 is inserted into the first housing unit 71 and pulled out together with the workpiece 90 before processing (S11 to S14, Fig. 18B, Fig. 18C). Next, the chuck head 33 is moved to the first transfer position (S28) and holds the workpiece 90 placed on the first transport hand 113 (S15 to S17, Fig. 18D).

[0173] When the chuck head 33 holds the workpiece 90, it is determined whether or not all of the processing in the recipe scheduled for the held workpiece 90 has been completed. Since processing is usually performed multiple times on one workpiece 90, the control unit 11 makes this determination by comparing the results data that records the processing contents thus far with the processing recipe (S21).

[0174] Here, if the processing of the held workpiece 90 is not completed (S21: NO), the control unit 11 refers to the recipe and determines whether or not to execute the above-mentioned pre-calibration (S22). If necessary, the control unit 11 executes the pre-calibration process (S23). Furthermore, the control unit 11 determines whether or not to execute the wafer tilt correction process, and executes it if necessary (S24, S25, FIG. 18E). As a result, the XYZθ positions of the chuck head 33 are adjusted.

[0175] Next, the control unit 11 moves the chuck head 33 to the processing start position (S26). Next, while moving the chuck head 33 and the laser oscillator 85 by the Xs-axis moving unit 61 and the Zs-axis moving unit 81 (see FIG. 3) to the processing end position, the laser head 85a irradiates the semiconductor wafer 91 with a laser, thereby performing processing (S27, FIG. 18F).

[0176] When the processing is completed, the process returns to S21, and the control unit 11 judges again whether or not all processing in the recipe is completed. In this manner, S21 to S27 are repeated until the processing in the recipe is completed.

[0177] Incidentally, while the holding section 30 and the processing section 80 are repeating the steps from calibration to processing (S21 to S27), part of the supply process (S11 to S14) is being carried out simultaneously in parallel in the first loading / unloading section 110, and the next workpiece 90 to be processed is prepared on the first transport hand 113 (Figure 18F).

[0178] When the control unit 11 determines that all processing in the recipe has been completed (S21: YES), it moves the chuck head 33 to the second delivery position (S29) and delivers the workpiece 90 to the second transport hand 123 (S32 to S33, FIG. 18G). Then, it executes a storage process in the second carry-in / out unit 120 and stores the workpiece 90 held by the chuck head 33 in the second storage unit 72 (S34 to S37, FIG. 18H).

[0179] The control unit 11 causes the chuck head 33 to receive the next workpiece 90 to be processed, in parallel with the storage process in the second carry-in / out unit 120. Specifically, when the chuck head 33 delivers the processed workpiece 90 to the second transport hand 123 and becomes empty (S33-S34), it moves to the first transfer position (S28) and receives the workpiece 90 already prepared on the first transport hand 113 (S15-S17). Then, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the processing of the workpiece 90 in the recipe has been completed (S21).

[0180] The entire process is carried out in this manner, and the entire process is repeated along with the supply process and the storage process until processing of all workpieces 90 stored in the first storage section 71 is completed and the processed workpieces 90 are stored in the second storage section 72.

[0181] 3.Effects The effects of the processing device 10 according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0182] In the processing device 10 configured as above, the workpiece 90 placed on the first transport hand 113 can be directly transferred to the holding part 30 by being held from above by the holding part 30. Conversely, the workpiece 90 held below the holding part 30 can also be directly transferred to the second transport hand 123.

[0183] This eliminates the need for a space for temporarily placing the workpiece 90 between the first transport hands 113, 123 and the holder 30 (hereinafter, temporary placement space), allowing the processing device 10 to be made smaller and more space-saving.

[0184] In addition, by directly transferring the workpiece 90 without going through the temporary storage space, the number of transfers of the workpiece 90 stored in the storage section 70 can be reduced. Specifically, in the case of transfer via the temporary storage space, the workpiece 90 is transferred in the order of "storage section-transport hand-temporary storage space-holding section", so the number of transfers is four. In contrast, in this embodiment, the workpiece 90 is transferred between "storage section 70-first transport hand 113-holding section 30", so the number of transfers until the start of processing is only two. This reduces the time required for transfer, and allows processing of the workpiece 90 in the storage section 70 to be started in a short time. In addition, the processed workpiece 90 can be stored in the storage section 70 in a short time. Therefore, the productivity of the processing device 10 is improved.

[0185] Furthermore, during delivery, the workpiece 90 may be subjected to an impact or come into contact with other members, which may result in damage to the workpiece 90. In this embodiment, the number of deliveries can be reduced, which reduces the chance of the workpiece 90 being subjected to an impact or the like, thereby preventing damage and suppressing a decrease in yield.

[0186] Furthermore, the processing unit 80 processes the workpiece 90, which is held from above by the holding unit 30, from below. Dust generated by processing falls and is therefore less likely to adhere to the workpiece 90. This makes it possible to keep the workpiece 90 clean, reduce contamination, and suppress a decrease in yield.

[0187] The processing device 10 also includes clamping sections (Y clamping section 133, X clamping section 137), and the clamping sections 133, 137 clamp the sides of the workpiece 90 placed on the transport hand (first transport hand 113, second transport hand 123) from the outside, thereby temporarily positioning the workpiece 90 on the transport hand.

[0188] The provisional positioning is performed for the purpose of holding the workpiece 90 at a predetermined position in the holding section 30 and storing it at a predetermined position in the storage section 70. By performing the provisional positioning, the laser irradiation position can be moved to the processing start position in a short time. In addition, when storing the workpiece 90 in the storage section 70, it is possible to suppress the workpiece 90 from falling due to misalignment, and to store it smoothly.

[0189] In addition, by doing this, the workpiece 90 can be positioned while it is placed on the first transport hand 113, etc., so there is no need to provide a separate space for temporary positioning (temporary positioning table), and the processing device 10 can be made more space-saving.

[0190] In addition, since it is not necessary to place the workpiece on the temporary positioning table, the number of times the workpiece 90 is transferred can be reduced. This shortens the takt time and improves productivity. In addition, damage to the workpiece 90 that occurs during transfer can be reduced, and a decrease in yield can be suppressed.

[0191] The moving unit 50 also includes an Xs-axis moving unit (first moving unit) 61 that moves the holding unit 30 in the X-direction (first direction) perpendicular to the vertical direction, and a Ys-axis moving unit (second moving unit) 51 that moves the holding unit 30 in the Y-direction (second direction) perpendicular to the vertical direction and the X-direction, where the X-direction is the processing direction when processing the workpiece 90, and the Y-direction is the pitch feed direction of the workpiece 90, and the position (transfer position) where the holding unit 30 transfers the workpiece 90 between the transport hand (first transport hand 113 or second transport hand 123) and the position (processing position) of the holding unit 30 when the processing unit 80 processes the workpiece 90 are aligned in the X-direction.

[0192] The movement distance of the holding unit 30 is greater in the X direction in which the holding unit 30 moves between the transfer position and the processing position than in the Y direction in which pitch feed is performed. Also, the processing direction in which the workpiece 90 is processed and the direction in which the holding unit 30 moves between the transfer position and the processing position are the same, the X direction.

[0193] In this configuration, in order to shorten the time required for the holder 30 to move and improve productivity, it is particularly effective to increase the movement speed in the X direction, which has a large movement distance. Furthermore, in order to perform linear processing along the processing line 95, the movement in the X direction is required to have high linearity. On the other hand, in the movement in the Y direction, which is the pitch feed direction, a higher positioning accuracy is required than in the X direction in order to process the workpiece 90 with high accuracy.

[0194] In other words, the Xs-axis moving unit 61, which moves in the X direction, which is also the machining direction and has a relatively large moving distance, can be designed with emphasis on moving speed and linearity. On the other hand, the Ys-axis moving unit 51, which moves in the pitch feed direction, can be designed with emphasis on positioning accuracy rather than moving speed and linearity. In this way, the Xs-axis moving unit 61 and the Ys-axis moving unit 51 can be designed rationally according to their respective roles, and the cost of the machining device 10 can be reduced.

[0195] In addition, the direction in which the transport hands (first transport hand 113 and second transport hand 123) transport the workpiece 90 in and out of the storage section 70 is the Y direction, and the storage section 70 is arranged below the moving section 50 so that at least a portion of it overlaps with the area in which the moving section 50 can move when viewed in a plane.

[0196] As described above, the transfer position and the processing position are aligned in the X direction, and the distance that the holding unit 30 moves between them is greater than the distance that the holding unit 30 moves in the Y direction (pitch feed direction). Therefore, the shape of the processing device 10 excluding the storage table 69 is long in the X direction.

[0197] If the direction in which the workpiece 90 is carried in and out of the storage section 70 is the X direction, the storage table 69 is disposed in the X direction of the transfer position, and the processing device 10 including the storage table 69 becomes even larger in the X direction. On the other hand, if the direction in which the workpiece 90 is carried in and out is the Y direction, the storage table 69 can be disposed in the Y direction of the transfer position, and the length of the processing device 10 in the X direction does not become large.

[0198] In addition, since the storage unit and the storage platform 69 overlap with the movable area of ​​the moving unit 50 in a plan view, the processing device 10 can be prevented from becoming large in the second direction. This allows the processing device 10 to be made space-saving.

[0199] In addition, the Xs-axis moving section 61 (first moving section) includes a pair (two) of parallel Xs-axis ball screws (first guide sections) 62 extending in the first direction (X direction) and aligned in the second direction (Y direction), and the pair of Xs-axis ball screws 62 support the holding section 30 movably in the X direction via an Xs-axis slider 63 and an XY stage 64.

[0200] Since the holding unit 30 is supported by a pair (two) of Xs-axis ball screws 62, the holding unit 30 is firmly supported to reduce wobbling and vibration. This makes it difficult for the workpiece 90 held by the holding unit 30 to fall, and enables high-speed movement of the holding unit 30 in the X direction.

[0201] Furthermore, the Ys-axis moving section 51 includes a pair (two) of parallel Ys-axis ball screws 52 extending in the Y direction and aligned in the X direction, and the pair of Ys-axis ball screws 52 supports the Xs-axis moving section 61 movably in the Y direction.

[0202] In this way, the Xs-axis moving part 61 is supported by a pair (two) of Ys-axis ball screws 52, so that the Xs-axis moving part 61 can be firmly supported and wobble can be suppressed. This stabilizes the posture of the holding part 30 during the movement in the Y direction that performs pitch feed, making it possible to perform pitch feed with high accuracy.

[0203] In addition, the storage section 70 includes a first storage section 71 that stores the workpiece 90 before processing, and a second storage section 72 that stores the workpiece 90 after processing, and the transport hand includes a first transport hand 113 that transports the workpiece 90 from the first storage section 71 and passes it to the holding section 30, and a second transport hand 123 that receives the workpiece 90 from the holding section 30 and transports it into the second storage section 72.

[0204] In this way, the supply process can be performed by the first transport hand 113, and the storage process can be performed by the second transport hand 123. Therefore, after the holder 30 delivers the processed workpiece 90 to the second transport hand 123, the holder 30 can receive the unprocessed workpiece 90 from the first transport hand 113 while the second transport hand 123 is storing the workpiece 90 in the second storage section 72.

[0205] This allows the accommodation process of the second transport hand 123 and the supply process of the first transport hand 113 to be performed simultaneously in parallel, thereby shortening the tact time of the processing device 10 and improving productivity.

[0206] The workpiece 90 includes three plate surface measurement points P1 to P3 on the device surface 91a (plate surface), and the processing unit 80 includes a camera 86 that photographs each of the plate surface measurement points P1 to P3 and measures the coordinates of each of the plate surface measurement points P1 to P3, and a Zs axis moving unit 81 that moves the processing unit 80 in the vertical direction, and the control unit 11 identifies the plate surface based on the coordinates of each of the plate surface measurement points P1 to P3 before processing, and causes the processing unit 80 to perform processing while causing the Zs axis moving unit 81 to move the processing unit 80 so that the distance between any point on the plate surface and the processing unit 80 is constant.

[0207] In this way, the semiconductor wafer 91 can be irradiated with a laser and processed while keeping the distance F1 between the device surface 91a and the laser head 85a of the processing unit 80 constant, improving the processing accuracy in the Z direction. This can improve the yield of the semiconductor chips 94.

[0208] The holding unit 30 includes three bottom surface measurement points Q1 to Q3 on the bottom surface 33a of the chuck head 33 that holds the workpiece 90, and the processing unit 80 includes a camera 86 that photographs each of the bottom surface measurement points Q1 to Q3 and measures the coordinates of each of the bottom surface measurement points Q1 to Q3, and the control unit 11 identifies the bottom surface 33a based on the coordinates of each of the bottom surface measurement points Q1 to Q3 and calculates the distance F2 between any point on the bottom surface 33a and the processing unit 80.

[0209] The distance F2 between an arbitrary point on the bottom surface 33a and the processing portion 80 (laser head 85a) calculated in this manner is a value close to the distance between the workpiece 90 and the processing portion 80. Therefore, by using the calculated distance F2 as the initial value of the distance between the workpiece 90 and the processing portion 80 during processing, the distance between the workpiece 90 and the processing portion 80 can be measured in a short time.

[0210] <Embodiment 2> The processing apparatus 10 according to the above-mentioned first embodiment has two storage sections arranged in the X direction, namely, a first storage section 71 for storing the workpiece 90 before processing, and a second storage section 72 for storing the workpiece 90 after processing. Furthermore, the processing apparatus 10 has two carry-in / out sections (a first carry-in / out section 110 and a second carry-in / out section 120) corresponding to the storage sections 71, 72, respectively. The first carry-in / out section 110 only performs a supply process, and the second carry-in / out section 120 only performs a storage process.

[0211] In contrast, the processing apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment has one each of the storage section 170 and the loading / unloading section (third loading / unloading section 210) as shown in Fig. 19A. In this way, the length in the X direction can be made shorter compared to the processing apparatus 10. Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the processing apparatus 200 will be described with reference to Figs. 19A to 22.

[0212] The processing apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment differs from the processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment in that it has one storage section (storage section 170), the shape of the third transport hand 213 (one example of a "transport hand"), and in that it has an auxiliary hand 216 in addition to the third transport hand 213. Explanations of configurations, actions, and effects that overlap with those of the first embodiment will be omitted. Also, the same reference numerals will be used for configurations that are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0213] 19A to 19C are views showing the entire processing apparatus 200. The processing apparatus 200 has a storage section 170 and a third loading / unloading section 210.

[0214] 20 shows a plan view of only the third loading / unloading section 210, and Fig. 21A shows a side view thereof. In addition to the Z1-axis moving section 111 and Y1-axis moving section 112 described above, the third loading / unloading section 210 has a third transport hand 213, a Z3-axis moving section 214, a Y3-axis moving section 215, and an auxiliary hand 216. The Y3-axis and Z3-axis are axes along which the auxiliary hand 216 moves, and are parallel to the Y-axis and Z-axis, respectively.

[0215] As shown in Fig. 19B, the Z3-axis moving section 214 is fixed to the horizontal base section 21. As shown in Fig. 21A, the Z3-axis moving section 214 has a Z3-axis ball screw 214a extending in the Z direction, a Z3-axis slider 214b equipped with a nut that screws into the Z3-axis ball screw 214a, and a Z3 stage 214c fixed to the Z3-axis slider 214b. A Y3-axis moving section 215, which will be described later, is joined to the Z3 stage 214c.

[0216] The configuration of the Z3-axis moving unit 214 is substantially the same as that of the Z1-axis moving unit 111 described above. That is, the control unit 11 can rotate the Z3-axis ball screw 214a around its axis using a drive unit (not shown) to move the Z3-axis slider 214b in the Z direction. Since the Z3 stage 214c is fixed to the Z3-axis slider 214b, operating the Z3-axis moving unit 214 moves the Y3-axis moving unit 215 disposed on the Z3 stage 214c in the Z direction.

[0217] The Y3 axis moving section 215 is fixed to the upper surface of the Z3 stage 214c and has a Y3 axis ball screw 215a extending in the Y direction, and a Y3 axis slider 215b equipped with a nut that screws into the Y3 axis ball screw 215a.

[0218] Similar to the above-mentioned Y1-axis moving unit 112, the control unit 11 can move the Y3-axis slider 215b in the Y direction by rotating the Y3-axis ball screw 215a around its axis using a drive unit (not shown). The control unit 11 can freely move the Y3-axis slider 215b in the Y direction and the Z direction by operating the Z3-axis moving unit 214 and the Y3-axis moving unit 215.

[0219] 20, the auxiliary hand 216 is a plate-like member that is substantially Y-shaped in a plan view, and is made of, for example, stainless steel. A base end 216a of the auxiliary hand 216 is joined to the upper surface of the Y3-axis slider 215b. Therefore, the auxiliary hand 216 moves integrally in the Y and Z directions with the movement of the Y3-axis slider 215b in the Y and Z directions.

[0220] A tip end 216b of the auxiliary hand 216 is branched into two U-shaped parts, each of which extends in the Y direction. The distance between the inner sides of the tip ends 216b is designated as L4.

[0221] Here, if the distance between the outsides of the tip ends 213b of the third transport hand 213 is L5, the distance L4 between the insides of the tip ends 216b is larger than the distance L5 between the outsides of the tip ends 213b and is smaller than the outer diameter W3 of the wafer ring 92. In other words, the relationship of the following formula (2) is established. L2 <L4<W3···(2)

[0222] In this way, as described later, it becomes possible to transfer the workpiece 90 between the third transport hand 213 and the auxiliary hand 216. The distance between the insides of the tips 213b of the third transport hand 213 is L1, the same as that of the first transport hand 113, and is larger than the wafer diameter W1.

[0223] 21B, the third transport hand 213 has a different shape when viewed from the X direction from the first transport hand 113 (see FIG. 7) of the first embodiment. Note that, for the sake of explanation, FIG. 21B omits the Z3-axis moving unit 214 and the Y3-axis moving unit 215 from FIG. 21A to make it easier to see the third transport hand 213 and the auxiliary hand 216. For the sake of explanation, FIG. 21B does not show the Z3-axis moving unit 214 and the Y3-axis moving unit 215.

[0224] 21B, the third transport hand 213 has a crank portion 213c that rises in the Z direction between a base end 213a that is joined to the Z1-axis slider 111b and a tip end 213b. Due to the presence of the crank portion 213c, the Z-direction positions (heights) of the base end 213a and the tip end 213b are different, and the third transport hand 213 has a crank shape when viewed from the X direction. The crank portion 213c is provided to prevent the base end 213a of the third transport hand 213 from contacting the base end 216a of the auxiliary hand 216 when transferring the workpiece 90 between the third transport hand 213 and the auxiliary hand 216 in the supply / receive process described later.

[0225] <Explanation of Overall Processing (Embodiment 2)> Next, each of the processes from supply to processing to storage performed by processing apparatus 200 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 22, Figs. 23A to 23P, and Figs. 24A to 24H. Note that Figs. 23A to 23P, which are side views (partial cross-sectional views) of storage section 170 and third carry-in / out section 210, do not show Z3-axis moving section 214 and Y3-axis moving section 215 that move auxiliary hand 216, as in Fig. 21B described above. Also, Figs. 24A to 24H are plan views corresponding to any of the side views shown in Figs. 23A to 23P.

[0226] First, as an initial state at the start, as shown in Fig. 23A, five workpieces 90 before processing are stored inside the storage section 170, and only the top shelf inside the storage section 170 is empty. Furthermore, no workpieces 90 are placed on the third transport hand 213 and the auxiliary hand 216. Furthermore, a workpiece 90 after processing is held on the bottom surface of the chuck head 33 (shown in Fig. 23F, etc.). The plan view corresponding to Fig. 23A is Fig. 24A.

[0227] When operation of the processing device 200 starts upon instruction from the control unit 11, the control unit 11 operates the Z1-axis moving unit 111 to move the third transport hand 213 so that the height of the third transport hand 213 is slightly lower than the bottom surface of the workpiece 90 (the second level from the top within the storage unit 170) that is about to be supplied to the holding unit 30 (Figures 23A, 24A, S45).

[0228] The control unit 11 operates the Y1 axis moving unit 112 to insert the third transport hand 213 into the storage unit 170 so that the tip 213b of the third transport hand 213 does not come into contact with the workpiece 90 (FIGS. 23B, 24B, S46).

[0229] The control unit 11 raises the third transport hand 213. The workpiece 90 is lifted by the tip portion 213b, and the workpiece 90 is placed on the upper surface of the tip portion 213b (FIG. 23C, S47).

[0230] The control unit 11 withdraws the third transport hand 213 from the accommodation unit 170 with the workpiece 90 still placed on the tip end 213b (FIGS. 23D, 24C, S48).

[0231] The control unit 11 operates the Z1-axis moving unit 111 to raise the third transport hand 213 to a position (hereinafter referred to as the transfer position) where the third transport hand 213 transfers the workpiece 90 to be processed between the chuck head 33 and the third transport hand 213 (FIG. 23E, S49). At the same time, the temporary positioning unit 130 is operated to temporarily position the workpiece 90 on the third transport hand 213 (S50).

[0232] In S45 to S50 described above, the third transport hand 213 carries out the unprocessed workpiece 90 from the accommodation section 170 and moves it to the transfer position. During this time, the chuck head 33, which has been holding the processed workpiece 90 in the initial state, performs an operation (S51 to S55) to transfer the workpiece 90 to the auxiliary hand 216 in parallel with the movement of the third transport hand 213. S51 to S55 will be described below.

[0233] The control unit 11 operates the Ys-axis moving unit 51 and the Xs-axis moving unit 61 to move the chuck head 33 above the auxiliary hand 216 (S51, FIG. 24D). Next, the Z3-axis moving unit 214 raises the auxiliary hand 216, bringing the upper surface of the tip 216b of the auxiliary hand 216 close to the workpiece 90 held by the chuck head 33 (FIG. 23F, S52), and turns off the vacuum suction of the chuck head 33. Then, the workpiece 90 is released from its hold, and the workpiece 90 is placed on the tip 216b (S53).

[0234] The control unit 11 detects that the air pressure in the suction passage 35 (see FIG. 19C) measured by an air pressure sensor (not shown) has returned to normal pressure, and after confirming the release of the holding, lowers the auxiliary hand 216 on which the processed workpiece 90 is placed (S54). Thereafter, the control unit 11 moves the chuck head 33 onto the third transport hand 213 on which the unprocessed workpiece 90 is placed (FIGS. 23G, 24E, S55).

[0235] The control unit 11 raises the third transport hand 213 to press the workpiece 90 against the bottom surface 33a of the chuck head 33, and turns on the vacuum of the chuck head 33 (FIG. 23H, S56). This causes the chuck head 33 to suction and hold the workpiece 90 from above on its bottom surface 33a. After detecting a drop in pressure indicated by an air pressure sensor (not shown) and confirming that the workpiece is being held, the control unit 11 lowers the now empty third transport hand 213 (FIG. 23I, S57).

[0236] The control unit 11 moves the chuck head 33 to the processing position, and processes the unprocessed workpiece 90 (S71 to S77). S71 to S77 are the same steps as S21 to S27 in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0237] While the processing in S71 to S77 is being performed, in the third carry-in / out section 210, the processed workpiece 90 is handed over from the auxiliary hand 216 to the third transport hand 213 (S58 to S61), and the third transport hand 213 performs a process of storing the workpiece 90 in the storage section 170 (S41 to S44). This process will be described below.

[0238] The control unit 11 moves the auxiliary hand 216 on which the workpiece 90 after processing is placed onto the third transport hand 213, and raises the third transport hand 213 (FIG. 23J, FIG. 24F, S58). As shown in the above formula (2) and FIG. 20, the distance L4 between the inner sides of the tip portions 216b is greater than the distance L5 between the outer sides of the tip portions 213b. Therefore, even if the tip portions 216b and 213b appear to overlap when viewed from the X direction as in FIG. 23J, the tip portions 213b can actually pass through the inner side of the tip portion 216b, and therefore the two do not come into contact with each other. Also, as shown in FIG. 21B, the third transport hand 213 is crank-shaped when viewed from the X direction, so that the base end portion 213a does not come into contact with the auxiliary hand 216 even if the tip portion 213b is above the tip portion 216b as in FIG. 23K.

[0239] Therefore, even if the auxiliary hand 216 and the third transport hand 213 overlap when viewed from the X direction as shown in Fig. 23J, they do not come into contact with each other. When the third transport hand 213 is raised further than the state in Fig. 23J, the workpiece 90 on the auxiliary hand 216 is placed on the third transport hand 213 (Fig. 23K, S59). In this way, the processed workpiece 90 can be transferred from the auxiliary hand 216 to the third transport hand 213.

[0240] Next, the control unit 11 retreats the auxiliary hand 216 to the left side in the figures (FIG. 23L, FIG. 24G, S60), and the temporary positioning unit 130 performs temporary positioning on the third transport hand 213 (S61).

[0241] Next, the processed workpiece 90 placed on the third transport hand 213 is accommodated in the accommodation section 170. Specifically, the control section 11 lowers the third transport hand 213 and stops it at a position slightly higher than the uppermost accommodation position (FIG. 23M, S41).

[0242] The control unit 11 inserts the third transport hand 213 into the storage unit 170 (FIG. 23N, FIG. 24H, S42). Next, the third transport hand 213 is lowered to place the workpiece 90 on the protrusion 73 in the storage unit 170 (FIG. 23O, S43), and the third transport hand 213 is pulled out from the storage unit 170 (FIG. 23P, S44). Thereafter, the control unit 11 lowers the third transport hand 213 to the height of the workpiece 90 to be next supplied to the chuck head 33 (S45), and inserts it into the storage unit 170 (S46). This completes one cycle of processing performed by the processing apparatus 200.

[0243] <Effects explanation (embodiment 2)> As described above, the third loading / unloading section 210 of the processing apparatus 200 of embodiment 2 is equipped with an auxiliary hand 216 on which the workpiece 90 can be placed, and the auxiliary hand 216 can receive the workpiece 90 from the holding section 30 (chuck head 33) and also pass the workpiece 90 to the third transport hand 213.

[0244] In this way, after transferring the processed workpiece 90 to the auxiliary hand 216, the holding unit 30 can immediately move to the delivery position on the third transport hand 213 and receive the unprocessed workpiece 90 from the third transport hand 213. In other words, without waiting for the processed workpiece 90 to be stored in the storage unit 170, the holding unit 30 can hold the workpiece 90 to be processed next and process the workpiece 90 in the processing unit 80. This shortens the takt time of the processing device 200 and improves productivity.

[0245] In the configuration of the second embodiment, even if the processing device 200 has only one storage section and one carry-in / out section (storage section 170, third carry-in / out section 210), the idle time of the processing section can be shortened, improving the productivity of the processing device 200. Moreover, compared with the processing device 10 having two storage sections and two carry-in / out devices, the device can be made smaller and more space-saving.

[0246] <Other embodiments> (1) In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the processing device 10 including two storage sections (first storage section, second storage section) and two loading / unloading sections (first loading / unloading section 110, second loading / unloading section 120) is exemplified, but the number of storage sections and loading / unloading sections may be one. In this case, one transport hand performs both the loading (supply process) and unloading (accommodation process) of the workpiece 90.

[0247] (2) In the above-described first embodiment, the first storage section stores workpieces before processing, and the second storage section stores workpieces after processing. However, the workpieces stored in each storage section do not have to be limited to either before or after processing. In this case, the transport hand of the carry-in / out section corresponding to each storage section performs both carrying out (supply processing) and carrying in (storage processing) of the workpieces.

[0248] (3) The number of loading / unloading sections and storage sections may be three or more.

[0249] (4) In each of the above-described embodiments, the holding unit 30, the transport hand 113, etc., and the auxiliary hand 216 are moved in the X direction and the Y direction, or the Y direction and the Z direction using a ball screw. As a configuration for moving the holding unit, etc., a mechanism other than a ball screw, for example, a linear motor, a belt pulley mechanism, a gear mechanism, etc. may be used.

[0250] (5) In the above-described embodiments, a method of forming a modified layer inside a semiconductor wafer is exemplified as an example of laser processing. However, other laser processing such as full-cut processing, half-cut processing, grooving processing, etc. may be used. Full-cut processing is a method of cutting the entire thickness of a semiconductor wafer with a laser. Half-cut processing is a method of cutting the semiconductor wafer from the surface to about half the thickness with a laser, and then grinding the opposite surface to obtain individual semiconductor chips. Grooving processing is a method of first removing a brittle layer contained in a semiconductor wafer by laser processing, and then processing the other layers separately by a laser or other method to obtain individual semiconductor chips. In either method, the laser-processed portion becomes a separation boundary when dividing the semiconductor wafer into individual pieces.

[0251] (6) In each of the above-described embodiments, the laser oscillator 85 is fixed to the Z stage 84. However, a θx stage for adjusting the rotation angle around the X axis and a θy stage for adjusting the rotation angle around the Y axis may be provided between the Z stage 84 and the laser oscillator 85 so that the laser oscillator 85 can be adjusted to any angle. In this way, the angle of the laser head 85a relative to the Z axis can be adjusted by the θx and θy stages, so that the laser light can be irradiated at any angle (usually perpendicular) to the plate surface of the workpiece 90. [Explanation of symbols]

[0252] 10...Processing equipment 11...Control section 20…Foundation 30...Holding part 50…Moving part 70…Storage section 80…Processing department 90...Workpiece 110…First loading / unloading area (loading / unloading area) 113…First transport hand (transport hand) 120…Second loading / unloading area (loading / unloading area) 123…Second transport hand (carry-in / out section) 130...Temporary positioning unit 133...Y clamping part (clipping part) 135...Y clamping member (pair of clamping members) 137...X clamping part (clamping part) 138...X clamping member (pair of clamping members)

Claims

1. A processing device for processing a plate-shaped workpiece having a plate thickness direction in the up-down direction, A control unit for controlling an operation of the processing device; A storage section for storing the workpiece; a carry-in / out section having a transport hand on which the workpiece is placed and carrying the workpiece into and out of the accommodation section; A processing unit that processes the workpiece; A holding part that holds an upper surface of the workpiece; a moving unit that horizontally moves the holding unit between the transport hand and the processing unit, and that moves the holding unit relative to the processing unit when the processing unit processes the workpiece, The holding unit is located above the transport hand and transfers the workpiece between the holding unit and the transport hand, The processing unit processes the workpiece held by the holding unit from below, the moving unit includes a first moving unit that moves the holding unit in a first direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, and a second moving unit that moves the holding unit in a second direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the first direction, the first direction is a processing direction when processing the workpiece, The second direction is a pitch feed direction of the workpiece, A processing device, wherein a position where the holding part transfers the workpiece between the transport hand and the workpiece and a position of the holding part when the processing part processes the workpiece are aligned in the first direction.

2. A processing device for processing a plate-shaped workpiece having a plate thickness direction in the up-down direction, A control unit for controlling an operation of the processing device; A storage section for storing the workpiece; a carry-in / out section having a transport hand on which the workpiece is placed and carrying the workpiece into and out of the accommodation section; A processing unit that processes the workpiece; A holding part that holds an upper surface of the workpiece; a moving unit that horizontally moves the holding unit between the transport hand and the processing unit, and that moves the holding unit relative to the processing unit when the processing unit processes the workpiece, The holding unit is located above the transport hand and transfers the workpiece between the holding unit and the transport hand, The processing unit processes the workpiece held by the holding unit from below, The workpiece includes at least three plate surface measurement points on a plate surface; The processing unit includes a camera that photographs each of the plate surface measurement points and measures the coordinates of each of the plate surface measurement points, and a third moving unit that moves the processing unit in the up and down direction, The control unit identifies the plate surface based on the coordinates of each of the plate surface measurement points before processing, and causes the processing unit to perform processing while moving the processing unit with the third moving unit so that the distance between any point on the plate surface and the processing unit is constant.

3. A processing device for processing a plate-shaped workpiece having a plate thickness direction in the up-down direction, A control unit for controlling an operation of the processing device; A storage section for storing the workpiece; a carry-in / out section having a transport hand on which the workpiece is placed and carrying the workpiece into and out of the accommodation section; A processing unit that processes the workpiece; A holding part that holds an upper surface of the workpiece; a moving unit that horizontally moves the holding unit between the transport hand and the processing unit, and that moves the holding unit relative to the processing unit when the processing unit processes the workpiece, The holding unit is located above the transport hand and transfers the workpiece between the holding unit and the transport hand, The processing unit processes the workpiece held by the holding unit from below, The holding portion includes at least three bottom surface measurement points on a bottom surface that holds the workpiece, The processing unit includes a camera that photographs each of the bottom surface measurement points and measures coordinates of each of the bottom surface measurement points, The control unit identifies the bottom surface based on the coordinates of each of the bottom surface measurement points, and calculates the distance between any point on the bottom surface and the processing unit.

4. A processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The loading / unloading section includes at least one clamping section, The clamping unit has a pair of clamping members, The pair of clamping members clamps the sides of the workpiece placed on the transport hand from the outside, thereby positioning the workpiece on the transport hand, in the processing device.

5. A processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, a direction in which the transport hand carries the workpiece in and out of the accommodation part is the second direction; A processing apparatus, wherein the storage section is disposed below the moving section so as to overlap at least a portion of the storage section with an area that the moving section can occupy in a plan view.

6. A processing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 5, the first moving portion includes a pair of first guide portions extending in the first direction and aligned in the second direction in parallel, A processing device, wherein the pair of first guide portions support the holding portion so as to be movable in the first direction.

7. The processing apparatus according to claim 6, the second moving portion includes a pair of second guide portions extending in the second direction and aligned in parallel with each other in the first direction, A processing device, wherein the pair of second guide portions support the first moving portion so as to be movable in the second direction.

8. A processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The accommodation section includes a first accommodation section that accommodates the workpiece before processing, and a second accommodation section that accommodates the workpiece after processing, The processing device includes a first transport hand that transports the workpiece from the first storage section and passes it to the holding section, and a second transport hand that receives the workpiece from the holding section and transports it into the second storage section.

9. A processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The loading / unloading unit further includes an auxiliary hand on which the workpiece can be placed, The auxiliary hand receives the workpiece from the holding part and transfers the workpiece to the transport hand.

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