How to use the dressing board

Abstract

To simplify input of information regarding dressing for an operator.SOLUTION: A cutting device has: a chuck table for holding a dressing board; and a cutting unit which has a spindle and in which a cutting blade is attached to a tip of the spindle. In the cutting device, a dressing board using method is used during dressing or reshaping of the cutting blade. The dressing board using method includes: a placement step in which the dressing board is placed on the chuck table; and a recording step in which multiple grooves are formed at an outer periphery part of the dressing board with the cutting blade to record information regarding dressing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method of using a dressing board when sharpening or shaping a cutting blade. [Background technology]

[0002] Device chips are mounted on electronic devices such as mobile phones and personal computers. Device chips are manufactured by grinding and thinning the back side of a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer on which devices such as ICs (Integrated Circuits) and LSIs (Large Scale Integrations) are formed on the front side, and then dividing the workpiece into device units.

[0003] When dividing a workpiece, the workpiece is cut by a cutting device equipped with a cutting blade, for example. The cutting blade has a cutting edge, and the cutting edge has abrasive grains such as diamond, cBN (cubic boron nitride), etc., and a bond material such as a nickel plating layer, resin bond, metal bond, etc. for fixing the abrasive grains.

[0004] Before cutting a workpiece with a cutting blade, the cutting blade is cut into a dressing board (also called a dresser board or dress board) and dressed so that the abrasive grains properly protrude from the bond material (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-49120 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2011-11280 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when performing dressing, the operator must input information about the dressing into the cutting device each time, which is cumbersome. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to simplify the input of information about the dressing for the operator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of using a dressing board used when sharpening or shaping a cutting blade in a cutting device having a chuck table that holds a dressing board and a cutting unit having a spindle and a cutting blade attached to the tip of the spindle, the method includes a loading step of loading the dressing board on the chuck table, and a recording step of forming multiple grooves with the cutting blade on the outer periphery of the dressing board to record information regarding dressing. After the recording process, a reading process is performed to image the multiple grooves formed in the dressing board and read information regarding the dressing from the image of the multiple grooves; after the reading process, a dressing process is performed to dress the cutting blade using the dressing board; and after the dressing process, an additional recording process is performed to record information indicating the start position of a cut on the outer periphery of the dressing board with the cutting blade when the dressing board is used in the next dressing process. A method of using the dressing board is provided.

[0009] good Preferably, the information relating to the dressing is determined according to the length of each groove and the arrangement of the plurality of grooves, and in the reading step, information according to the length of each groove and the arrangement of the plurality of grooves is read from the image.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of using a dressing board used when sharpening or shaping a cutting blade in a cutting device having a chuck table that holds a dressing board and a cutting unit having a spindle and a cutting blade attached to the tip of the spindle, the method comprising: a loading step of loading the dressing board on the chuck table; and a recording step of forming a plurality of grooves with the cutting blade on the outer periphery of the dressing board to record information regarding the dressing, The information regarding the dressing includes dressing conditions including the cutting depth and groove spacing during dressing. Instructions on how to use the dressing board are provided . Preferably, the method of using a dressing board further comprises, after the recording step, a reading step of imaging the multiple grooves formed in the dressing board and reading information about the dressing from the image of the multiple grooves. Effect of the Invention

[0012] In one embodiment of the method of using a dressing board according to the present invention, a cutting blade is used to form multiple grooves on the outer periphery of the dressing board, and information regarding the dressing is recorded (recording process). If the image of the multiple grooves is converted into information regarding the dressing according to a predetermined rule, the effort required for the operator to input information into the cutting device can be reduced, and input errors during input can also be avoided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] This is a flow diagram of how to use the dressing board. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] A top view of the dressing board. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] A top view of the dressing board during the dressing process. [Figure 8] A top view of the dressing board during an additional recording process. [Figure 9] FIG. 9(A) is a top view of a dressing board according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 9(B) is a top view of the dressing board during a dressing process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] An embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting device 2. In Fig. 1, some of the components of the cutting device 2 are shown in functional blocks. In the following description, the X-axis direction (machining feed direction), the Y-axis direction (indexing feed direction), and the Z-axis direction (height direction) are mutually orthogonal directions.

[0015] An operation panel 4 functioning as an input device is provided on the front side (one side in the Y-axis direction) of the cutting device 2. For example, an operator can set processing conditions and the like for the cutting device 2 via the operation panel 4. A monitor 6 functioning as a display device is provided on the side surface on the front side of the cutting device 2.

[0016] The monitor 6 displays a guide screen for guiding the operator in operation, images captured by a microscope camera unit (imaging unit) 26 (described later), and the like. The monitor 6 may be a touch panel that functions as an input device and a display device. In this case, the operation panel 4 may be omitted.

[0017] A disk-shaped wafer 11 (see FIG. 4) made of a semiconductor material such as silicon is cut by the cutting device 2. A circular resin tape 25 (dicing tape, see FIG. 9(A)) is attached to the back surface 11b of the wafer 11 at its center.

[0018] One surface of a metal annular frame 27 (see FIG. 9(A)) having an opening with a diameter larger than that of the wafer 11 is attached to the outer periphery of the dicing tape. The wafer 11, the dicing tape, and the annular frame form a wafer unit.

[0019] A plurality of (e.g., 25) wafer units are housed in one cassette 8, and the cassette 8 is placed on a cassette table 10 provided at a corner on the front side of the cutting device 2. An elevator 12 capable of moving the cassette table 10 up and down is connected to the bottom of the cassette table 10.

[0020] A push-pull arm 14 that can access the cassette 8 is provided behind the cassette table 10 (the other side in the Y-axis direction). A pair of guide rails 16 that adjust the position of the wafer unit in the X-axis direction are provided on both sides of the movement path of the push-pull arm 14.

[0021] A first transport unit 18 that can access the pair of guide rails 16 is provided near the pair of guide rails 16. The first transport unit 18 transports a wafer unit from the pair of guide rails 16 to a disk-shaped chuck table 20 that is located in the load / unload area A1.

[0022] The chuck table 20 has a disk-shaped metal frame and a disk-shaped porous plate disposed in the center of the frame. A negative pressure is transmitted to the porous plate from a suction source (not shown) such as an ejector. The upper surface of the porous plate and the upper surface of the frame are substantially flush with each other, forming a holding surface 20a that holds the wafer unit (wafer 11) by suction.

[0023] A plurality of clamp units 20b for fixing the frame 27 are provided on the outer periphery of the chuck table 20. In addition, a rotation drive source (not shown) such as a motor that rotates the chuck table 20 around a predetermined rotation axis is connected to the lower part of the chuck table 20.

[0024] A rectangular table cover 22 is provided between the rotary drive source and the chuck table 20. On the upper surface of the table cover 22, a sub-chuck table 24 made of metal and shaped like a rectangular plate is provided.

[0025] The height of the holding surface 24a of the sub-chuck table 24 is set to be approximately the same as the height of the holding surface 20a. A rectangular annular groove is formed in the holding surface 24a, and a cross-shaped groove connected to the rectangular annular groove is formed closer to the center of the holding surface 24a than the rectangular annular groove.

[0026] A negative pressure is transmitted to each groove from a suction source (not shown) such as an ejector. The holding surface 24a, by this negative pressure, sucks and holds the dressing board 13. The dressing board 13 has one surface that is approximately the same size as the holding surface 24a.

[0027] The dressing board 13 in this embodiment is a rectangular plate with long sides of 75 mm, short sides of 37.5 mm, and a thickness of 1 mm. The dressing board 13 is used when sharpening and reshaping the cutting blade 34 described later.

[0028] The dressing board 13 has abrasive grains such as white alundum (WA) and green carbon (GC), and a binder such as vitrified or resinoid for fixing the abrasive grains. However, the abrasive grains and the binder constituting the dressing board 13 are appropriately selected according to the cutting blade 34.

[0029] A two-dimensional code (not shown) indicating the type of dressing board 13 is displayed by printing, engraving, etc. on a part of the upper surface 13a of the dressing board 13. The type of dressing board 13 can be read by capturing an image of the two-dimensional code with the microscope camera unit 26.

[0030] The type of dressing board 13 is, for example, a product number defined by a combination of letters and numbers to specify the type of bond material, abrasive grain material, abrasive grain size, etc. of the dressing board 13.

[0031] An X-axis direction moving mechanism 22a is provided below the rotation drive source of the chuck table 20. The X-axis direction moving mechanism 22a moves the rotation drive source, the chuck table 20, the table cover 22, the sub-chuck table 24, etc., integrally along the X-axis direction.

[0032] 1, the general position of the X-axis direction moving mechanism 22a is indicated by an arrow, but the specific structure is omitted. The X-axis direction moving mechanism 22a has a pair of guide rails (not shown) arranged along the X-axis direction.

[0033] An X-axis direction moving table (not shown) is slidably connected on the pair of guide rails. A rotation drive source for the chuck table 20 is fixed to the upper surface of the X-axis direction moving table. A nut portion (not shown) is provided on the lower surface side of the X-axis direction moving table.

[0034] A ball screw (not shown) is rotatably connected to the nut portion. The ball screw is disposed between a pair of guide rails, and a stepping motor (not shown) is provided at one end of the ball screw. When the stepping motor is operated, the X-axis direction moving table moves along the X-axis direction.

[0035] The X-axis direction moving mechanism 22a moves the chuck table 20 between the load / unload area A1 and the cutting area A2. Furthermore, the X-axis direction moving mechanism 22a feeds the chuck table 20 at a predetermined processing feed speed in the cutting area A2.

[0036] A microscope camera unit 26 is provided above the movement path of the chuck table 20 so as to face the holding surface 20a or the holding surface 24a. The microscope camera unit 26 has a camera including a predetermined optical system and an imaging element such as a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor.

[0037] A ball screw type Y-axis direction moving unit (not shown) is connected to the microscope camera unit 26. By adjusting the position of the microscope camera unit 26 in the Y-axis direction and adjusting the position of the chuck table 20 in the X-axis direction, an image of any area on the front surface 11a side of the wafer 11 located on the holding surface 20a is captured. The image captured by the microscope camera unit 26 is sent to a control unit 44, which will be described later.

[0038] Similarly, by adjusting the position of the microscope camera unit 26 in the Y-axis direction and adjusting the position of the sub-chuck table 24 in the X-axis direction, an image of an arbitrary area on the upper surface 13a side of the dressing board 13 located on the holding surface 24a is captured. The captured image is sent to the control unit 44.

[0039] A cutting unit 28 is provided above the cutting area A2. The cutting unit 28 will now be described with reference to Fig. 3. The cutting unit 28 has a cylindrical spindle housing 30 whose longitudinal direction is disposed along the Y-axis direction.

[0040] A part of a cylindrical spindle 32 is rotatably accommodated in the spindle housing 30. A rotary drive source (not shown) such as a motor is provided at the base end of the spindle 32, and a cutting blade 34 having an annular cutting edge is attached to the tip end of the spindle 32. When the rotary drive source is operated, the cutting blade 34 rotates at high speed in a predetermined direction R.

[0041] The upper part of the cutting blade 34 is covered with a blade cover 36. The blade cover 36 is provided with a nozzle unit 38 that supplies cutting water such as pure water to the cutting blade 34.

[0042] A ball screw type cutting feed mechanism (not shown) that moves the cutting unit 28 along the Z-axis direction is connected to the spindle housing 30. In addition, the cutting feed mechanism is moved along the Y-axis direction together with the cutting unit 28 by a ball screw type indexing feed mechanism (not shown).

[0043] 1, a description will now be given of other components of the cutting device 2. A second transport unit 40 and a spinner cleaning unit 42 are provided behind the load / unload area A1.

[0044] After cutting the wafer 11, the second transport unit 40 accesses the chuck table 20 arranged in the load / unload area A1, and transports the wafer 11 from the chuck table 20 in the load / unload area A1 to the spinner table of the spinner cleaning unit .

[0045] After being spin-cleaned and spin-dried in the spinner cleaning unit 42, the wafer 11 is transferred to the pair of guide rails 16 by the first transfer unit 18, and then loaded into the cassette 8 by the push-pull arm 14 or the like.

[0046] Each component of the cutting device 2 is controlled by a control unit 44. The control unit 44 in this embodiment is configured by a computer. The control unit 44 includes a processor (processing device) represented by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a main storage device, and an auxiliary storage device.

[0047] The primary storage device includes a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read only memory (ROM), etc. The secondary storage device includes a flash memory, a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, etc.

[0048] The auxiliary storage device stores software including a predetermined program. The functions of the control unit 44 are realized by operating the processing device and the like in accordance with this software.

[0049] The control unit 44 includes an image processor 46 that processes the image sent from the microscope camera unit 26. The image processor 46 is, for example, a predetermined program stored in an auxiliary storage device. The image processor 46 identifies the lengths of the multiple grooves 15 (see FIG. 5) formed in a predetermined area on the upper surface 13a side of the dressing board 13 based on the image of the upper surface 13a side of the dressing board 13.

[0050] For example, the length of one pixel in an image is predetermined according to the shooting magnification, and the image processing unit 46 determines the length of each groove 15 by calculating the length of the groove 15 from the number of pixels corresponding to the groove 15.

[0051] The multiple grooves 15 are formed in a portion of the outer periphery of the upper surface 13a side of the dressing board 13 in a manner perpendicular to the linear edge of the dressing board 13. The multiple grooves 15 in this embodiment are formed near the corners of the dressing board 13, as shown in FIG.

[0052] In this embodiment, the grooves 15 are formed using the cutting blade 34, so that the grooves 15 have approximately the same width and a predetermined depth (e.g., 50 μm) that does not reach the lower surface 13b. However, the lengths of the grooves 15 are not necessarily the same.

[0053] The length of each groove 15 and the arrangement of the multiple grooves 15 are converted by the information conversion unit 48 into information 17 (see FIG. 6) regarding dressing using the dressing board 13. The information conversion unit 48 is, for example, a predetermined program stored in an auxiliary storage device.

[0054] First, the numbers indicated by the length of groove 15 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The first groove 15a from the left end of Fig. 6 indicates the reference length of the multiple grooves 15 excluding groove 15a (first rule). The length of the second groove 15b from the left end is converted into a number by information conversion unit 48 using the length of groove 15a as the reference.

[0055] In this embodiment, the length of groove 15a is 1 mm, and the length of groove 15b is 3 mm. In this case, the information conversion unit 48 converts groove 15a into the number "1" and converts groove 15b into the number "3."

[0056] Next, the arrangement of the plurality of grooves 15 will be described. The arrangement of the plurality of grooves 15 indicates predetermined information. For example, the grooves 15a and 15b correspond to the information 17a indicating the cutting depth at which the cutting blade 34 is cut into the dressing board 13 during dressing (second rule).

[0057] The number "13" specified by the grooves 15a and 15b is associated with the cutting depth in a one-to-one relationship by a table, a formula, or the like prestored in the auxiliary storage device. Therefore, the control unit 44 can read the cutting depth based on the images of the grooves 15a and 15b.

[0058] Regarding the spacing between the grooves 15, the grooves 15a and 15b in this example are spaced 0.5 mm apart in the long side direction of the dressing board 13. The third groove 15c and the fourth groove 15d from the left end of FIG. 6 are also spaced 0.5 mm apart in the same direction.

[0059] In contrast, groove 15b and groove 15c are spaced apart by 1 mm. However, in this example, the spacing between grooves 15 is not used as information 17 about the dressing board 13. Therefore, the spacing between each groove 15 may be the same.

[0060] Next, the other information 17b will be described. The grooves 15c and 15d correspond to the information 17b indicating the interval of the grooves 19 (see FIG. 7) formed when the cutting blade 34 is dressed (third rule).

[0061] The numbers indicated by the lengths of grooves 15c and 15d are expressed in an (N+1)-ary system, where the number indicated by groove 15b is N (N: natural number). In this example, since the number indicated by groove 15b is 3, the numbers indicated by the lengths of grooves 15c and 15d are expressed in a 4-ary system (=3+1).

[0062] The length of each of the grooves 15c and 15d shown in FIG. 6 is 1 mm, so the grooves 15c and 15d represent the number "11" in base 4. The number "11" in base 4 is expressed as 5 in decimal (=4 1 x1+4 0 ×1).

[0063] The decimal numbers specified by the grooves 15c, 15d are converted into the interval between the grooves 19 (so-called index amount) based on tables, formulas, etc. previously stored in the auxiliary storage device. In this example, the decimal number 5 is converted into an index amount of 1 mm. In this way, the control unit 44 can read the information 17b indicating the index amount based on the images of the grooves 15c, 15d.

[0064] In addition, grooves 15e and 15f (see FIG. 8) may be formed on the opposite side of groove 15a to groove 15c with respect to groove 15d. The lengths of grooves 15e and 15f correspond to update information 17c indicating the position (one-dimensional coordinates) on the long side of the dressing board 13 or the position (two-dimensional coordinates) on the top surface 13a corresponding to the next cutting position (fourth rule).

[0065] In addition to the grooves 15e and 15f, another groove 15g (see FIG. 8) may be formed. The length of the groove 15g corresponds to the update information 17d indicating the number of times the dressing board 13 has been used (fifth rule).

[0066] Next, a method of using the dressing board 13 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. Figure 2 is a flow diagram of a method of using the dressing board 13.

[0067] Information on the type of cutting blade 34 used in the cutting device 2 (type of abrasive grain, particle size (grain size), bonding material, etc.) is input in advance into the control unit 44 by reading a barcode attached to a case (not shown) in which the cutting blade 34 is housed with a reader (not shown) attached to the cutting device 2.

[0068] The operator first uses a reader to read the two-dimensional code displayed on the upper surface 13a of an unused dressing board 13 (i.e., one on which grooves 15 and 19 are not formed), and inputs information on the type of dressing board 13 into the control unit 44. Furthermore, the operator inputs information such as sharpening conditions through the operation panel 4 (input process S10).

[0069] If, in the input step S10, the type of cutting blade 34 and the variety of dressing board 13 are not compatible, the operator is warned via the monitor 6, a speaker (not shown), a lamp (not shown), etc., that the cutting blade 34 and the dressing board 13 are mismatched. In this case, the operator takes measures such as replacing the dressing board 13.

[0070] 1, the operator places the dressing board 13 on the sub-chuck table 24 (placement step S20). After the placement step S20, the dressing board 13 is suction-held by the holding surface 24a.

[0071] The control unit 44 first converts the dressing conditions input in the input step S10 into the lengths of the grooves 15a to 15d. Next, the control unit 44 controls the X-axis direction moving mechanism 22a, the microscope camera unit 26, the cutting unit 28, etc. to cut the cutting blade 34 into the outer periphery of the dressing board 13, and form the grooves 15a to 15d each having a predetermined depth (recording step S30).

[0072] 3 is a diagram showing the recording step S30. In the recording step S30, first, the microscope camera unit 26 captures an image of the front corner of the dressing board 13, and the position of the cutting blade 34 relative to the dressing board 13 in the Y-axis direction is adjusted.

[0073] Then, while supplying cutting water from the nozzle unit 38, the lower end of the rotating cutting blade 34 is positioned outside the dressing board 13 at a predetermined cutting depth (50 μm in this example) from the upper surface 13a, and the sub-chuck table 24 is moved for processing by the X-axis moving mechanism 22a.

[0074] After the sub-chuck table 24 is fed for processing by a distance corresponding to the length of the groove 15a, the cutting unit 28 is indexed and fed by a distance corresponding to the spacing between the grooves 15 to form grooves 15b, 15c, and 15d in the same manner as the groove 15a.

[0075] In this manner, the information 17 input in the input step S10 is recorded as a plurality of grooves 15. After completion of the recording step S30, the dressing board 13 in which the plurality of grooves 15 are formed is temporarily removed from the sub-chuck table 24 (removal step S40).

[0076] After the removal process S40, if the dressing board 13 having multiple grooves 15 formed therein is to be used again, the operator places the dressing board 13 on the sub-chuck table 24 and suction-holds the lower surface 13b of the dressing board 13 with the holding surface 24a.

[0077] Then, from the image obtained by imaging the plurality of grooves 15 with the microscope camera unit 26, information 17 regarding the dressing board 13 is read in accordance with the above-mentioned predetermined first to third rules (reading step S50).

[0078] In this way, in this embodiment, information 17 regarding the dressing board 13 is recorded by the cutting blade 34 using the multiple grooves 15, and then the information 17 regarding dressing can be read based on images of the multiple grooves 15.

[0079] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the reading step S50. Fig. 5 is a top view of the dressing board 13 during the reading step S50, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a rectangular area B indicated by a dashed line in Fig. 5.

[0080] In the dressing step S60 after the reading step S50, the sharpening conditions are automatically set in the control unit 44 according to the read information 17a, 17b. Therefore, when the dressing board 13 is used more than once, the operator's effort to input the sharpening conditions via the operation panel 4 is reduced, and input errors when inputting the information can also be avoided.

[0081] 7 is a top view of the dressing board 13 in the dressing step S60. In the dressing step S60 of this example, dressing is started from the corner opposite the corner where the multiple grooves 15 are formed in the long side direction of the dressing board 13 (see the arrow along the X-axis direction in FIG. 7).

[0082] With the lower end of the rotating cutting blade 34 positioned at a predetermined depth from the upper surface 13a in accordance with the cutting depth specified by the information 17a, the sub-chuck table 24 is processed and fed, thereby dressing the cutting blade 34 using the dressing board 13.

[0083] After forming a groove 19 across the dressing board 13 from one long side of the dressing board 13 to the other long side, the cutting unit 28 is indexed and advanced a distance corresponding to the interval specified by information 17b, and dressing is performed by similarly forming the groove 19.

[0084] In this way, during dressing, a plurality of grooves 19 are formed on the upper surface 13a at predetermined intervals in the long side direction. The number of grooves 19 to be formed may be input by the operator to the control unit 44 via the operation panel 4 before the start of dressing, or may be included in the information 17 designated by the grooves 15.

[0085] After forming a predetermined number of grooves 19 (i.e., after the dressing step S60), when the dressing board 13 is used in the next dressing step S60, update information 17c indicating the start position 19a of the cut is recorded on the outer periphery of the dressing board 13 by the cutting blade 34 (additional recording step S70).

[0086] 8 is a top view of the dressing board 13 in the additional recording step S70. In this example, grooves 15e and 15f are formed. The numbers indicating the lengths of the grooves 15e and 15f are similarly expressed in base 4 and indicate the start position 19a of the next cut.

[0087] Also, a groove 15g may be formed adjacent to the groove 15f to indicate the number of uses of the dressing board 13. The start positions 19a (update information 17c) indicated by the grooves 15e and 15f, and the number of uses (update information 17d) indicated by the groove 15g can be read according to the fourth and fifth rules described above.

[0088] Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the dressing board 23 is held by suction using the chuck table 20 instead of the sub-chuck table 24 (see FIG. 9(A)).

[0089] 9(A) is a top view of the dressing board 13 according to the second embodiment, particularly showing the state after the recording step S30 and before the dressing step S60. In this example, a square plate-shaped dressing board 23 having four sides of 75 mm each and a thickness of 1 mm is used.

[0090] A central portion of a tape 25 having a diameter larger than the diagonal length of the dressing board 23 is attached to the back side of the dressing board 23. One surface of a metal ring-shaped frame 27 is attached to the outer periphery of the tape 25.

[0091] In this manner, a board unit 29 is formed in which the dressing board 23 is supported by the frame 27 via the tape 25. The board unit 29 is stored in a cassette 8, and is transported to the chuck table 20 when in use. Figure 9(B) is a top view showing the dressing board 23 in the dressing process S60 in the second embodiment.

[0092] The method of using the dressing board 23 according to the second embodiment also follows the procedure shown in Fig. 2. In the dressing step S60 of the second embodiment, the dressing board 23 is rotated approximately 90 degrees so that the start position 19b of the first cut is located near a corner of the upper surface 23a that is diagonally opposite to the corner near the groove 15a.

[0093] Then, the grooves 19 are formed sequentially from the starting position 19b. This allows the grooves 19 to be formed in the dashed line region C adjacent to multiple grooves 15 in the Y-axis direction, so that a wider area of ​​the dressing board 23 can be used compared to the case where dressing is performed in the state of FIG. 9(A).

[0094] Also in the dressing step S60 of the second embodiment, the sharpening conditions are automatically set in the control unit 44 in accordance with the read information 17a, 17b. This reduces the effort required for the operator to input the sharpening conditions via the operation panel 4, and also makes it possible to avoid input errors.

[0095] In addition, the structures, methods, etc. according to the above-mentioned embodiments can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the dressing boards 13 and 23 are not limited to sharpening, and can also be used for truing the cutting blade 34.

[0096] Incidentally, the two-dimensional code displayed on the upper surface 13a of the dressing board 13 may become unreadable due to a groove 19 being formed on the two-dimensional code. Therefore, even if the two-dimensional code becomes unreadable, one or more additional grooves 15 may be formed in the dressing board 13 to record information indicating the type of the dressing board 13.

[0097] Also, the grooves 15 other than the grooves 15a and 15b can be expressed in any (N+1)-based number system. However, in the case of binary numbers (N=1), the number of grooves 15 arranged in parallel becomes relatively large according to the amount of information to be recorded.

[0098] Therefore, the lower limit of N (a natural number) is preferably 2 or more (i.e., ternary, quaternary, etc.). On the other hand, in order to increase the amount of information recorded in one groove 15, for example, hexadecimal (N=15) may be adopted.

[0099] However, since the size of the imaging field of the microscope camera unit 26 mounted on the cutting device 2 is usually about 5.1 mm in the Y-axis direction and 4.8 mm in the X-axis direction, in the case of hexadecimal, if a groove 15 with a length exceeding 5 mm is formed, for example, the groove 15 cannot be imaged in one go. In other words, the entire length of the groove 15 cannot be grasped in one image.

[0100] Of course, it is possible for the image processing unit 46 to grasp the overall length of the groove 15 by stitching together a plurality of images to create a single image, but stitching together images places a burden on the image processing unit 46.

[0101] Therefore, it is preferable to set the upper limit of N (a natural number) according to the size of the imaging field of view. For example, if the length of the imaging field of view in the X-axis direction is 4.8 mm, N is preferably 3 or less (i.e., a ternary or quaternary number), and if the length is 8.0 mm, N is preferably 7 or less (i.e., a ternary to octal number).

[0102] Incidentally, the correspondence between the numbers specified by the lengths of grooves 15a, 15b, etc. and information 17a, 17b, etc. may be stored in advance in an auxiliary storage device as in the above-described embodiment, or may be provided to the auxiliary storage device via an external storage device such as a USB memory or the Internet, etc. (neither of which are shown in the figures).

[0103] Furthermore, if the control unit 44 is connected to an external server or computer (neither of which are shown), the above-mentioned correspondence may be stored in the memory of the server or computer. In this case, the control unit 44 can access the server or computer to read the information 17 corresponding to the length of each groove 15 and the arrangement of the multiple grooves 15. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 2: cutting device, 4: operation panel, 6: monitor, 8: cassette, 10: cassette table 11: wafer, 11a: front surface, 11b: back surface 12: elevator, 14: push-pull arm, 16: guide rail 13, 23: Dressing board, 13a: Upper surface, 13b: Lower surface 15,15a,15b,15c,15d,15e,15f,15g:Groove 17,17a,17b: Information, 17c,17d: Update information 18: First transport unit 19: Groove, 19a, 19b: Starting position 20: chuck table, 20a: holding surface, 20b: clamp unit 22: table cover, 22a: X-axis direction movement mechanism 23a: top surface, 25: tape, 27: frame, 29: board unit 24: sub-chuck table, 24a: holding surface, 26: microscope camera unit 28: cutting unit, 30: spindle housing, 32: spindle 34: cutting blade, 36: blade cover, 38: nozzle unit 40: second transfer unit, 42: spinner cleaning unit 44: control unit, 46: image processing unit, 48: information conversion unit A1: Loading / unloading area, A2: Cutting area, B: Rectangular area, C: Broken line area, R: Predetermined direction

Claims

1. A method of using a dressing board used when sharpening or reshaping a cutting blade in a cutting device having a chuck table that holds a dressing board and a cutting unit having a spindle and a cutting blade attached to a tip of the spindle, comprising: a placing step of placing the dressing board on the chuck table; a recording step of forming a plurality of grooves on the outer periphery of the dressing board with the cutting blade to record information regarding the dressing; a reading step of imaging the plurality of grooves formed in the dressing board after the recording step and reading information about the dressing from the image of the plurality of grooves; a dressing step of dressing the cutting blade using the dressing board after the reading step; After the dressing step, an additional recording step is performed in which information indicating a start position of a cut is recorded on the outer periphery of the dressing board by the cutting blade when the dressing board is used in the next dressing step; A method of using a dressing board, comprising:

2. the dressing information is determined according to a length of each groove and an arrangement of the plurality of grooves; A method of using a dressing board as described in claim 1, characterized in that in the reading step, information corresponding to the length of each groove and the arrangement of the multiple grooves is read from the image.

3. A method of using a dressing board used in sharpening or reshaping a cutting blade in a cutting device having a chuck table for holding a dressing board and a cutting unit having a spindle and a cutting blade attached to a tip of the spindle, comprising: a placing step of placing the dressing board on the chuck table; a recording step of forming a plurality of grooves on the outer periphery of the dressing board with the cutting blade to record information regarding the dressing; Preparation, A method for using a dressing board, characterized in that the information regarding the dressing includes dressing conditions including cutting depth and groove spacing during dressing.

4. A method of using a dressing board as described in claim 3, further characterized in that after the recording process, it includes a reading process of imaging the multiple grooves formed in the dressing board and reading information regarding the dressing from the image of the multiple grooves.

Images