Wear amount measuring device and wear amount measuring method

Abstract

To provide a wear amount measuring device and a wear amount measuring method capable of reducing a measurement error in a cutting edge wear amount of a saw blade.SOLUTION: A wear amount measuring device includes: a spindle 30 for rotating a saw blade 28 having at least one cutting edge 29A in a direction opposite to a direction in which a blade portion of the cutting edge 29A faces; and a controller 24 for measuring a wear amount of the cutting edge 29A by detecting that the cutting edge 29A of the saw blade 28 rotating in the opposite direction is brought into contact with a work table 18.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dicing device and a cutter setting method. [Background technology]

[0002] A wafer on which multiple semiconductor elements each having an electronic device are formed is cut or grooved (hereinafter referred to as dicing) by a dicing machine. The dicing machine is equipped with a thin, disk-shaped blade rotated at high speed by a spindle and a table that holds the wafer by suction, and processes the wafer by bringing the cutting edge of the outer periphery of the blade rotating at high speed into contact with the wafer. The table and blade are moved relatively by the movement mechanism of the X, Y, Z, and θ axes provided in the dicing machine. This allows the dicing machine to perform dicing of various shapes on the wafer.

[0003] In a dicing machine, it is important that the amount of the wafer that is left uncut by the blade matches a preset value. Conventionally, in order to match the amount of the wafer that is left uncut with the set value, a process for positioning the Z-axis position (also called the Z-axis coordinate) of the blade's rotation axis with high precision, that is, a process called cutter set, is periodically performed. In this cutter set, the amount of wear on the blade edge is measured, and the Z-axis position of the blade's rotation axis is corrected based on the amount of wear on the blade edge, thereby matching the amount of the wafer that is left uncut with the set value.

[0004] A contact-type cutter setting device is known as a device for measuring the amount of wear on the cutting edge of a blade (see, for example, Patent Document 1). With this contact-type cutter setting device, the blade is lowered in the Z-axis direction toward the table, and contact of the cutting edge of the blade with the table is detected by electrical conduction, and the amount of wear is measured based on the Z-axis position of the rotation axis of the blade at this time. With the contact-type cutter setting device, the cutting edge of the blade is directly contacted with the table, so the amount of wear on the cutting edge of the blade can be directly measured. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-211350 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Incidentally, when dicing a wafer having a resin molded surface, a saw-tooth type blade (hereinafter referred to as a "saw-tooth blade") may be used instead of a normal dicing blade.

[0007] When setting the saw blade, the wear of the cutting edge is measured by contacting the rotating saw blade with the table. In this case, if the table is made of a viscous material such as stainless steel, a phenomenon occurs in which some of the cutting chips cut by the saw blade during the cutter setting adhere to the cutting edge of the saw blade and remain as burrs. This burr is difficult to peel off from the cutting edge even during dicing processing performed after the cutter setting, so when the cutter is set next time, it contacts the table before the cutting edge. In other words, when setting the saw blade, the wear of the cutting edge may be measured based on the Z-axis position when the burr contacts the table, which causes a problem of large measurement errors.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a dicing device and a cutter setting method that can reduce measurement errors in the amount of wear on the cutting edge of a saw blade. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the dicing device of the present invention is a dicing device that comprises a work table for holding a workpiece, a saw blade for processing the workpiece, a spindle capable of rotating the saw blade, and a relative movement means for moving the spindle and the worktable relatively, and performs cutter setting to measure the amount of wear of the blade edge by moving the spindle and the worktable relatively and bringing the cutting edge of the saw blade into contact with the worktable.The spindle is configured to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions, and is equipped with a blade rotation control means that controls the rotation direction of the spindle to rotate the saw blade in the forward direction when processing the workpiece and rotate the saw blade in the reverse direction when setting the cutter, and a measurement means that measures the amount of wear of the blade edge by detecting that the cutting edge of the saw blade rotating in the reverse direction has come into contact with the worktable.

[0010] In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the cutter setting method of the present invention is a cutter setting method in which the amount of wear on the cutting edge of a saw blade is measured by contacting the cutting edge of a work table that holds a workpiece, and includes a blade rotation switching step of switching the rotation direction of the saw blade from a forward direction, which is the rotation direction when processing the workpiece, to a reverse direction, which is the opposite direction to the forward direction, a moving step of moving the saw blade rotating in the reverse direction and the work table in directions in which they approach each other relatively, and a measurement step of measuring the amount of wear on the cutting edge by detecting that the cutting edge of the saw blade rotating in the reverse direction has come into contact with the work table. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce errors in measuring the amount of wear on the cutting edge of a saw blade. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dicing device to which the present invention is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of a processing unit of the dicing device shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] Table top view [Figure 4] A front view showing an example of a saw blade [Diagram 5] A conceptual diagram explaining the configuration and operation of a cutter setting device. [Figure 6] Plan view showing cutter set position [Figure 7] An enlarged view of the main part showing the cutting edge state when the saw blade is rotated in the reverse direction and the cutter is set. [Figure 8] An enlarged view of the main part showing the cutting edge state when the saw blade is rotated in the forward direction and the cutter is set. [Figure 9] A graph showing the total wear amount of the cutting edge when the saw blade is rotated in the reverse direction and the cutter is set. [Figure 10] A graph showing the total wear amount of the cutting edge when the saw blade is rotated in the forward direction and the cutter is set. [Figure 11] Schematic side view of a burr removal device [Figure 12] Schematic cross-sectional view of the burr removal device [Figure 13] A graph showing the total wear amount of the cutting edge when the cutter was set using the burr removal device in Figure 11. [Figure 14] A graph showing the total wear amount of the cutting edge when the cutter is set using the burr removal device of FIG. 12. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a dicing apparatus and a cutter setting method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a dicing device 10 to which the cutter setting method of the present invention is applied.

[0015] The dicing device 10 includes a load port 12 for transferring a cassette containing multiple disk-shaped wafers (workpieces) W between an external device, a transport device 16 having suction pads 14 for transporting the wafer W to each part of the device, a work table 18 for suction-holding the wafer W, a processing part 20 for dicing the wafer W, and a spinner 22 for cleaning and drying the wafer W after dicing. The operation of each part of the dicing device 10 is controlled by a controller 24.

[0016] The processing unit 20 is provided with a camera 26. The camera 26 is used as a device for capturing an image of the surface of the wafer W and aligning the wafer W by a known pattern matching method.

[0017] Inside the processing section 20, a pair of saw blades 28, 28 arranged opposite to each other, and spindles 30, 30 with built-in high-frequency motors for rotating the saw blades 28, 28 are provided.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the processing unit 20. As shown in FIG.

[0019] 2, the processing section 20 includes an X-table 32. The X-table 32 is guided by X-guides 36, 36 provided on an X-base 34, and is driven in the X-direction indicated by the arrow XX by an X-movement mechanism section 40 having a linear motor 38. A rotary table 42 that rotates in the θ-direction is fixed to the upper surface of the X-table 32, and the work table 18 is provided on the rotary table 42. Therefore, the work table 18 is moved in the X-direction by the X-table 32, and rotated in the θ-direction by the rotary table 42.

[0020] Furthermore, processing unit 20 is provided with a Y base 44 configured in a gate shape so as to straddle X base 34. A pair of Y tables 46, 46 are provided on the wall surface of Y base 44. The pair of Y tables 46, 46 are guided by Y guides 48, 48 fixed to the wall surface of Y base 44, and are driven in the Y direction indicated by arrow YY by Y movement mechanism unit 50 consisting of a stepping motor and a ball screw (not shown).

[0021] The Y tables 46 are provided with Z tables 52, respectively. The Z tables 52 are guided by Z guides (not shown) provided on the Y table 46, and are driven in the Z direction indicated by the arrow ZZ by a Z movement mechanism 54 consisting of a stepping motor and a ball screw (not shown). Spindles 30 are fixed to the Z tables 52 in an opposing state, and saw blades 28 are mounted on the tips of the spindles 30, and are disposed to face each other. The saw blades 28 are rotated at a high speed of 6000 rpm to 80000 rpm by the spindle 30. The spindle 30 is configured to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions.

[0022] With the above-described configuration of the processing unit 20, the saw blades 28, 28 are index-fed in the Y direction by the Y movement mechanism 50 and are cut-fed in the Z direction by the Z movement mechanism 54, and the work table 18 is cut and fed in the X direction by the X movement mechanism 40 and is rotated in the θ direction by a θ rotation mechanism (not shown). These operations are controlled by the controller 24 (see FIG. 1). The X movement mechanism 40, Y movement mechanism 50, Z movement mechanism 54, and a θ rotation mechanism (not shown) described in the embodiment constitute the relative movement means of the present invention.

[0023] The controller 24 controls the amount of cutting feed in the Z direction by the Z movement mechanism 54 based on the amount of wear of the cutting edge 29 (see FIG. 4) of the saw blade 28 measured by the cutter set unit 60 (see FIG. 5) described later, so as to match the amount of cutting or uncut amount of the wafer W to a set value.

[0024] 3 is a plan view of the work table 18. The work table 18 includes a suction portion 56 having a circular shape in a plan view for suction-holding the wafer W, and a main body 58 having a ring shape in a plan view for supporting the suction portion 56 by being disposed outside the suction portion 56.

[0025] The suction part 56 is formed in a circular shape centered on the central axis 18A of the work table 18. The suction part 56 is made of a porous material and is connected to a vacuum source (not shown) via a vacuum path. By driving the vacuum source, air in the vacuum path is sucked in, and the wafer W is held by vacuum suction on the surface of the suction part 56.

[0026] The main body 58 is made of stainless steel, and the surface of the main body 58 is positioned on the same plane as the surface of the adsorption part 56. The main body 58 is a contacted part that comes into contact with the cutting edge 29A (see FIG. 4) of the saw blade 28, that is, when the cutter is set, the cutting edge 29A of the saw blade 28 comes into contact with the surface of the main body 58.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of a sawtooth blade 28, in which a cutting edge 29A is exaggerated to emphasize the characteristics of the sawtooth blade 28.

[0028] The saw blade 28 has a plurality of cutting edges 29A, 29A... that constitute a cutting edge 29 at the outer circumferential end, and are arranged at a predetermined interval. A rake face 29B inclined at a predetermined angle is formed on one side of the cutting edge 29A, and a clearance face 29D is formed on the other side. In the rotation direction of the saw blade 28, the rotation direction indicated by the arrow A is the rotation direction when dicing the wafer W. Hereinafter, the rotation direction indicated by the arrow A will be referred to as the "normal rotation direction", and the opposite rotation direction indicated by the arrow B will be referred to as the "reverse direction". In defining the "normal rotation direction", the rotation direction in which the rake face 29B faces can also be referred to as the "normal rotation direction".

[0029] Next, the operation of the dicing device 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

[0030] In the dicing apparatus 10, first, a cassette containing a plurality of wafers W is placed on the load port 12 by a transfer device (not shown) or manually. The wafers W are taken out one by one from the placed cassette by the transfer device 16, and placed on the surface of the work table 18 by the transfer device 16. Thereafter, the back surface of the wafer W is vacuum-adsorbed and held on the surface of the suction portion 56 of the work table 18. In this way, the wafer W is held on the work table 18.

[0031] The surface of the wafer W held on the work table 18 is imaged by the camera 26 in FIG. 1, and then the attitude of the work table 18 is adjusted by the X-axis movement mechanism 40 and a θ-axis rotation mechanism (not shown) to align the position of the cut line formed on the surface of the wafer W with the position of the saw blade 28.

[0032] When the alignment is completed and the dicing process is started, the spindle 30 starts rotating in the normal direction, the saw blade 28 rotates in the normal direction at high speed, and cutting fluid is supplied to the processing point from a nozzle (not shown). In this state, the wafer W is cut and fed in the X direction together with the work table 18, and the spindle 30 is lowered in the Z direction to a predetermined height, and the dicing process is performed. The above is a general operation of the dicing device 10.

[0033] 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the configuration and operation of the cutter setting unit 60. The configuration of the cutter setting unit 60 will be explained below, but configurations that overlap with the configuration of the dicing device 10 described above will also be explained repeatedly.

[0034] The cutter setting section 60 shown in FIG. 5 is composed of the work table 18, the controller 24, the saw blade 28, the spindle 30, and the like.

[0035] The controller 24 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 62, a memory 64, an input / output interface 68, a cutter set circuit section 70, a Z movement mechanism section 54, an X movement mechanism section 40, and a Y movement mechanism section 50. The controller 24 develops various programs such as a control program stored in the memory 64, and executes the developed programs by the CPU 62, thereby realizing the functions of each section of the controller 24 and executing various arithmetic processing and control processing via the input / output interface 68. The cutter set circuit section 70 also includes a contact detection circuit section 72 that detects when the cutting edge 29A of the saw blade 28 comes into contact with the main body 58 of the work table 18.

[0036] When the cutter is set, the contact detection circuit unit 72 applies a positive potential from the DC power supply 73 to the rear end of the spindle 30 via a conductive brush (not shown), so that the saw blade 28 is at a positive potential. A negative potential is applied to the body 58 of the work table 18 that contacts the saw blade 28, so that the body 58 is at a negative potential. As a result, when the cutting edge 29A of the saw blade 28 contacts the body 58, electrical conduction is established between the saw blade 28 and the body 58. The contact detection circuit unit 72 detects that the cutting edge 29A has contacted the body 58 due to the electrical conduction, and the controller 24 measures the amount of wear based on the Z-axis position of the rotation axis of the saw blade 28 at this time. In this embodiment, the controller 24 constitutes the measuring means of the present invention.

[0037] 6 is a plan view of the main body 58 of the work table 18, showing an example of the cutter set position. The main body 58 is an area that comes into contact with the cutting edge 29A of the saw blade 28 over the entire circumference, and contact scratches 58A, 58A... are formed at the positions where the cutting edge 29A comes into contact.

[0038] Next, a cutter setting method using the cutter setting unit 60 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0039] First, the work table 18 is rotated by the θ rotation mechanism (not shown), and the work table 18 is moved by the X movement mechanism 40 to position the main body 58 of the work table 18 below the saw blade 28. This position is the first cutter set position. Next, the saw blade 28 is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed by the spindle 30, and is lowered at a predetermined speed by the Z movement mechanism 54, and the Z-axis position of the rotation axis of the saw blade 28 when the cutting edge 29A contacts the main body 58 is acquired and stored. Thereafter, the saw blade 28 is raised by the Z movement mechanism 54 and retreated from the main body 58. This completes the first cutter set. Note that the rotation direction of the saw blade 28 during the first cutter set may be the forward direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 4 or the reverse direction indicated by the arrow B, but in this embodiment, it is performed in the forward direction. After this, the dicing device 10 performs the dicing process of the wafer W described above.

[0040] Then, when the second cutter set is performed, similarly to the first cutter set, first, the work table 18 is rotated by the θ rotation mechanism (not shown) and moved by the X movement mechanism 40, and the main body 58 of the work table 18 is positioned so that the surface of the main body 58 without contact scratches 58A (see FIG. 6) is located below the saw blade 28. This position becomes the second cutter set position.

[0041] Next, the controller 24 controls the rotation direction of the spindle 30, rotates the saw blade 28 in the reverse direction at a predetermined rotation speed (e.g., 30,000 rpm) (blade rotation switching process), and lowers the saw blade 28 at a predetermined speed (e.g., 0.5 mm / sec) (movement process) by the Z movement mechanism 54. Then, the controller 24 measures the amount of wear based on the Z-axis position of the rotation axis of the saw blade 28 when the cutting edge 29A contacts the main body 58 (measurement process). Thereafter, the saw blade 28 is raised by the Z movement mechanism 54 and retreated from the main body 58. This completes the second cutter setting operation. The third and subsequent cutter sets are also performed in the same procedure. In the embodiment, the controller 24 constitutes the blade rotation control means of the present invention.

[0042] In this manner, in the cutter setting method of the embodiment, the rotation direction of the saw blade 28 is switched to the reverse direction when setting the cutter for the second or subsequent times. Hereinafter, the advantages of rotating the saw blade 28 in the reverse direction when setting the cutter for the second or subsequent times will be described.

[0043] Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the main part of the saw blade 28 when the saw blade 28 is rotated in the reverse direction to set the cutter. Fig. 8 is a comparative example of Fig. 7, that is, an enlarged view of the main part of the saw blade 28 when the saw blade 28 is rotated in the forward direction to set the cutter.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 8, when the saw blade 28 is rotated in the forward direction to perform the cutter set, when the burr (cutting chip of the main body 58) 80 attached to the rake face 29B of the cutting edge 29A comes into contact with the main body 58 during the first cutter set, the burr is relatively pressed against the rake face 29B by the main body 58 as shown by the arrow C. As a result, the burr 80 remains attached to the rake face 29B, causing a measurement error of the length of the burr 80. In addition, each time the cutter set is performed multiple times, a new burr 80 may be attached to the burr 80 attached previously, so there is also a problem that the measurement error of the wear amount of the cutting edge 29 increases each time the cutter set is performed.

[0045] 7, when the saw blade 28 is rotated in the reverse direction to set the cutters, the burrs 80 attached to the rake face 29B during the first cutter set are gradually pushed by the main body 58 each time the cutter set is repeated from the second time onwards, and are bent toward the valley portion 29C between the cutting edge 29A and the adjacent cutting edge 29A downstream in the rotation direction. In other words, when the cutter set is performed multiple times, the burrs 80 attached to each cutting edge 29A are completely bent as described above, so that all the cutting edges 29A come into stable contact with the main body 58. As a result, when the saw blade 28 is rotated in the reverse direction to set the cutters, the measurement error of the amount of wear of the cutting edge of the saw blade 28 can be reduced.

[0046] Therefore, the cutter setting method of the embodiment includes a blade rotation switching step of switching the rotation direction of the saw blade 28 to the reverse direction, a moving step of moving the saw blade 28 rotating in the reverse direction toward the main body 58, and a measuring step of measuring the amount of wear of the cutting edge 29 by detecting that the cutting edge 29 of the saw blade 28 rotating in the reverse direction has come into contact with the main body 58, so that it is possible to reduce measurement errors in the amount of wear of the cutting edge of the saw blade 28. Also, when setting the cutter for the second or subsequent times, it is possible to suppress burrs from adhering to the rake face 29B.

[0047] Fig. 9 is a graph showing the total wear amount of the saw blade 28 obtained when the saw blade 28 is rotated in the reverse direction and cutter set is performed multiple times. Fig. 10 is a comparative example of Fig. 9, that is, a graph showing the total wear amount of the saw blade 28 obtained when the saw blade 28 is rotated in the forward direction and cutter set is performed multiple times. The horizontal axis of the graphs in Figs. 9 and 10 indicates the number of cutter sets, and the vertical axis indicates the total wear amount (mm). The total wear amount is the integrated value of the wear amount obtained for each cutter set, and refers to the accumulated wear amount from the time when the saw blade 28 is attached to the spindle 30.

[0048] 9, the rotational speed of the saw blade 28 was set to 30000 rpm, and the downward movement speed of the saw blade 28 was set to 0.5 mm / sec. The saw blade 28 was repeatedly moved up and down relative to the main body 58, and the contact of the cutting edge 29A with the main body 58 was repeated multiple times. When the wear amount measured at that time was within 1 μm for three consecutive times and the wear amount was measured to be greater than the measurement value of the previous cutter set, the average value of the three measured values ​​was obtained as the wear amount. Of course, the position of the main body 58 relative to the saw blade 28 was changed every time the contact of the cutting edge 29A with the main body 58 was repeated, and the cutting edge 29A was set to contact the surface of the main body 58 without the contact scratches 58A (see FIG. 6).

[0049] According to the graph in Fig. 10, when the cutter is set by rotating in the forward direction, the total wear amount fluctuates toward the negative value side, and it can be confirmed that the diameter of the cutting edge 29 of the saw blade 28 increases. This is because burrs 80 (see Fig. 8) attached to the cutting edge 29A of the saw blade 28 come into contact with the main body 58, increasing the apparent diameter of the saw blade 28. Therefore, when the cutter is set by rotating the saw blade 28 in the forward direction, the measurement error of the wear amount of the cutting edge of the saw blade 28 increases.

[0050] In contrast, according to the graph of Fig. 9, when the cutter set is performed by rotating in the reverse direction, the total wear amount increases to the positive side for each cutter set, and it can be confirmed that the diameter of the cutting edge 29 of the saw blade 28 becomes smaller. This is because the burr 80 attached to the cutting edge 29A is bent as shown in Fig. 7 by the rotation of the saw blade 28 in the reverse direction, and the cutting edge 29A comes into contact with the main body 58. Therefore, when the cutter set is performed by rotating the saw blade 28 in the reverse direction, the measurement error of the wear amount of the cutting edge of the saw blade 28 can be reduced.

[0051] Next, a burr removing device for removing burrs 80 attached to cutting edge 29A of saw blade 28 will be described.

[0052] Fig. 11 is a schematic side view of a burr removing device 90 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 12 is a schematic side view of a burr removing device 100 which is a comparative example of the burr removing device 90 shown in Fig. 11.

[0053] The burr removing device 100 shown in Fig. 12 includes a nozzle 104 that sprays cutting water 102, and a spindle 30 that rotates the saw blade 28 in the forward direction. The nozzle 104 is disposed at a position facing the flank 29D of the cutting edge 29A. Therefore, according to the burr removing device 100 of Fig. 12, the cutting water 102 sprayed from the nozzle 104 is sprayed toward the flank 92D of the cutting edge 29A.

[0054] 12, the relative speed of the cutting water 102 to the burrs 80 adhering to the cutting face 92B is the jet speed of the nozzle 104 minus the rotational speed of the saw blade 28 in the forward rotation direction, and the cutting water 102 collides with the burrs 80 at this speed. In other words, the rotational speed of the saw blade 28 cannot be effectively used as a force for removing the burrs 80, and therefore the burrs 80 cannot be removed efficiently.

[0055] In contrast, the embodiment of the burr removal device 90 shown in Figure 11 includes a nozzle 94 that sprays cutting water 92 and a spindle 30 that rotates the saw blade 28 in the forward direction, and the nozzle 94 is positioned opposite the cutting face 29B of the cutting edge 29A.

[0056] 11, the relative speed of the cutting water 92 to the burrs 80 adhering to the cutting face 29B is the sum of the ejection speed of the cutting water 92 ejected from the nozzle 94 and the rotational speed of the saw blade 28 in the forward rotation direction, and the cutting water 92 collides with the burrs 80 at this speed. In other words, the rotational speed of the saw blade 28 can be effectively used as a force for removing the burrs 80, so that the burrs 80 can be efficiently removed.

[0057] Therefore, according to the burr removal device 90 of the embodiment, the saw blade 28 is rotated in the forward direction by the spindle 30, and cutting water 92 is sprayed toward the cutting face 29B from the nozzle 94 arranged at a position opposite the cutting face 29B, so that the burrs 80 can be effectively removed.

[0058] In this manner, according to the embodiment of the burr removal device 90, the burrs 80 adhering to the cutting edge 29A of the saw blade 28 can be effectively removed, thereby reducing measurement errors in the amount of wear on the cutting edge 29 when the cutter is set.

[0059] The burr removal process by the burr removal device 90 may be performed for each cutter set, or may be performed based on the wear amount of the saw blade 28 measured when the cutter is set. Also, it may be performed during the dicing process of the wafer W, or during the return movement of the work table 18 in the X-axis direction performed between dicing processes. Also, it may be performed immediately before the cutter is set. If it is performed immediately before the cutter is set, the rotation direction of the saw blade 28 when the cutter is set is not limited to the reverse direction and may be the forward direction.

[0060] The graph in Fig. 13 shows the change in the total wear amount of the saw blade 28 when the burr removal process is performed using the burr removal device 90 shown in Fig. 11. The graph in Fig. 14 shows the change in the total wear amount of the saw blade 28 when the burr removal process is performed using the burr removal device 100 shown in Fig. 12. The horizontal axis of the graphs in Figs. 13 and 14 shows the number of cutter sets, and the vertical axis shows the total wear amount (mm). In addition, in the burr removal processes shown in Figs. 13 and 14, 1.5 liters of cutting water per minute was sprayed for 30 seconds in both cases.

[0061] According to the graph of FIG. 14, it is shown that the total wear amount (-0.014 mm) of the cutter set performed the second time greatly varies from the total wear amount (0 mm) of the cutter set performed the first time. This is because a burr 80 having a length of about 0.014 mm from the cutting edge 29A toward the outer diameter direction is attached to the cutting edge 29A. Based on the total wear amount of the cutter sets performed thereafter, it is found that the burr 80 having a length of about 0.008 mm remains attached to the cutting edge 29A. Based on the total wear amount of the cutter sets performed 68 to 70 times, it is found that a burr 80 having a length of about 0.02 mm is attached to the cutting edge 29A. Therefore, when a burr removal process was performed using the burr removal device 100 shown in Figure 12 before the 71st cutter set, the burr 80 having a length of approximately 0.02 mm could be removed. However, based on the total wear amount from the 72nd cutter set onwards, the burr 80 having a length of 0.007 mm remained attached, and the burr 80 could not be effectively removed.

[0062] On the other hand, according to the graph of FIG. 13, based on the total wear amount of the cutter set performed from the 2nd to the 25th time, it is found that the burr 80 having a length of about 0.002 mm remains attached to the cutting edge 29A. Based on the total wear amount of the cutter set performed from the 26th time, it is found that the burr 80 having a length of about 0.005 mm remains attached to the cutting edge 29A. Based on the total wear amount of the cutter set performed from the 29th to the 37th time, it is found that the burr 80 having a length of about 0.002 mm remains attached to the cutting edge 29A. Based on the total wear amount of the cutter set performed from the 38th to the 45th time, it is found that the burr 80 having a length of about 0.005 mm to 0.006 mm remains attached to the cutting edge 29A. Based on the total wear amount of the cutter sets performed from the 46th to 49th times, it was found that burrs 80 having a length of about 0.004 mm to 0.006 mm had adhered to the cutting edge 29A. Therefore, it was confirmed that by removing the burrs using the burr removal device 90 shown in FIG. 11 before performing the 50th cutter set, the burrs 80 having a length of about 0.005 mm could be removed, and the total wear amount returned to nearly 0 mm. Therefore, by using the burr removal device 90 shown in FIG. 11, the burrs 80 could be effectively removed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] W...wafer, 10...dicing device, 12...load port, 14...suction pad, 16...transport device, 18...work table, 20...processing section, 22...spinner, 24...controller, 26...camera, 28...saw blade, 29...cutting edge, 29A...cutting edge, 29B...rake face, 30...spindle, 32...X table, 34...X base, 36...X guide, 38...linear motor, 40...X movement mechanism, 42...rotary table, 44...Y base, 46...Y table, 48...Y guide, 50...Y movement mechanism, 52...Z table, 54...Z movement mechanism, 56...suction section, 58...main body, 60...cutter set section, 62...CPU, 64...memory, 68...input / output interface, 70...cutter set circuit section, 72...contact detection circuit section

Claims

1. a rotating means for rotating a saw blade having at least one cutting edge in a direction opposite to a direction in which a cutting portion of the cutting edge faces; a measuring means for measuring an amount of wear of the cutting edge of the saw blade by detecting that the cutting edge of the saw blade rotating in the opposite direction has come into contact with a contacted portion; A wear amount measuring device comprising:

2. a rotating step of rotating a saw blade having at least one cutting edge in a direction opposite to a direction in which a cutting portion of the cutting edge faces; a wear amount measuring step of measuring the wear amount of the cutting edge by detecting that the cutting edge of the saw blade rotating in the opposite direction has come into contact with a contacted portion; A wear amount measuring method comprising:

Images