Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

To determine whether or not processing has been implemented by watching a frame unit after applying various kinds of processing to a substrate of the frame unit.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a substrate processing device 1 for processing a frame unit 9 in which a substrate 90 is supported in an opening of a frame 92 via a support member 91. The substrate processing device 1 comprises: a holding table 3 including a holding surface 302 on which the substrate 90 and at least a portion of the support member 91 are held; and a processing unit 16 for processing the frame unit 9 held on the holding table 3. The holding surface 302 includes: a substrate holding region 306 in which the substrate 90 is held; and a support member holding region 307 in which the support member 91 exposed between the substrate 90 and the frame 92 is held. The support member holding region 307 includes a transfer part 308 which is formed in a recessed shape. The support member 91 is sucked and held in the support member holding region 307, such that the transfer part 308 is transferred to the support member 91 and becomes a mark that processing is implemented by the processing unit 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing a frame unit in which a substrate is supported in an opening of a frame via a support member. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART There is a substrate processing apparatus that processes a frame unit in which a substrate is supported in an opening of a frame via a support member while being suction-held by a chuck table (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-226607 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] After various processes have been performed on a substrate using such a substrate processing apparatus, there is a need for an operator to be able to determine whether or not the processing has been completed by looking at the frame unit, for example. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus that processes a frame unit in which a substrate is supported in an opening of a frame via a support member, the substrate processing apparatus comprising: a holding table having a holding surface that holds the substrate and at least a part of the support member; and a processing unit that processes the frame unit held on the holding table, the holding surface having a substrate holding area that holds the substrate and a support member holding area that holds the support member exposed between the substrate and the frame, the support member holding area including a transfer portion on which at least one of a recess or a protrusion is formed, the support member being suction-held in the support member holding area so that the transfer portion is transferred to the support member, thereby marking that processing by the processing unit has been performed. For example, it is preferable that the holding table further has a first partition wall that separates the substrate holding area from the support member holding area, and that the substrate holding area is connected to a suction source via a first suction path, and that the support member holding area is connected to the suction source via a second suction path. For example, it is preferable that the holding table has a second partition wall that separates the transfer section from other areas of the support member holding area, the substrate holding area and the other areas of the support member holding area excluding the transfer section are connected to a suction source via a third suction path, and the transfer section is connected to the suction source via a fourth suction path. For example, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes a judgment unit that judges whether the processing by the processing unit has been performed normally, and the transfer unit includes a normal transfer unit that is transferred when the judgment unit judges that the processing by the processing unit has been performed normally, and an abnormal transfer unit that is transferred when the judgment unit judges that the processing by the processing unit has not been performed normally, and it is preferable that the support member is sucked and held at either the normal transfer unit or the abnormal transfer unit depending on the judgment of the judgment unit.

[0006] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a substrate processing method for processing a frame unit in which a substrate is supported in an opening of a frame via a support member, wherein the holding surface of a holding table that holds the frame unit has a substrate holding area that holds the substrate and a support member holding area that holds the support member exposed between the substrate and the frame, and the support member holding area includes a transfer portion in which at least one of a concave portion or a convex portion is formed, the substrate processing method comprising: a holding step that holds the frame unit on the holding surface of the holding table; a processing step that processes the frame unit held on the holding table by a processing unit; and a transfer step that suction-holds the support member in the support member holding area that includes at least the transfer portion, thereby transferring the shape of the transfer portion between the substrate on the support member and the frame, as an indication that the processing step has been performed. For example, in the substrate processing method according to the present invention, the transferring step is preferably performed after the processing step. For example, in the substrate processing method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the method further comprises a determination step for determining whether the processing step has been performed normally, and the transfer step is performed when it is determined in the determination step that the processing step has been performed normally. For example, in a substrate processing method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the method further includes a determination step for determining whether the processing step has been performed normally, wherein the transfer unit includes a normal transfer unit that is transferred when the processing step has been performed normally and an abnormal transfer unit that is transferred when the processing step has not been performed normally, and wherein the transfer step, if it is determined in the determination step that the processing step has been performed normally, sucks and holds the support member in the normal transfer unit and transfers the normal transfer unit onto the support member, and if it is determined in the determination step that an abnormality has occurred in the processing step, sucks and holds the support member in the abnormal transfer unit and transfers the abnormal transfer unit onto the support member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the holding surface of the holding table has a substrate holding area that holds a substrate and a support member holding area that holds a support member exposed between the substrate and the frame, and the support member holding area includes a transfer portion having at least one of a recess and a protrusion formed thereon, so that when the support member is sucked and held in the support member holding area, the transfer portion is transferred to the support member, making it possible to mark that processing by the processing unit has been performed. Then, by checking whether the transfer portion has been transferred to the support member, it becomes possible to determine whether processing by the processing unit has been performed on the frame unit. In the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, the holding table further has a first partition wall that separates the substrate holding area from the support member holding area, and the substrate holding area is connected to the suction source via a first suction path, and the support member holding area is connected to the suction source via a second suction path, so that it is possible to select whether or not to transfer the mark using the transfer unit when the processing of the frame unit is completed normally or not. For example, the holding table has a second partition that separates the transfer section from other areas of the support member holding area, and the substrate holding area and other areas of the support member holding area excluding the transfer section are connected to a suction source via a third suction path, and the transfer section is connected to the suction source via a fourth suction path, so that it is possible to select whether or not to perform mark transfer by the transfer section depending on whether processing of the frame unit is completed normally or not. For example, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes a judgment unit that judges whether processing by the processing unit has been performed normally, and the transfer unit includes a normal transfer unit that is transferred when the judgment unit judges that processing by the processing unit has been performed normally, and an abnormal transfer unit that is transferred when the judgment unit judges that processing by the processing unit has not been performed normally.This makes it possible to suck and hold the support member at either the normal transfer unit or the abnormal transfer unit depending on the judgment of the judgment unit, and by checking the transfer formed on the support member, it is possible to determine not only whether processing has been performed on the frame unit, but also whether the processing that has been performed has been performed normally.

[0008] A substrate processing method according to the present invention includes a holding step of holding a frame unit on a holding surface of a holding table, a processing step of processing the frame unit held on the holding table by a processing unit, and a transfer step of suction-holding the support member in a support member holding area of ​​the holding table including at least the transfer portion, thereby transferring the shape of the transfer portion between the substrate on the support member and the frame to mark that the processing step has been performed. By checking whether the transfer portion has been transferred to the support member of the frame unit after the transfer step, it becomes possible to determine whether the processing of the frame unit by the processing unit has been completed. Furthermore, for example, the substrate processing method according to the present invention further includes a determination step of determining whether the processing step has been performed normally, and by performing the transfer step only if the processing step has been performed normally, it becomes possible to determine whether the processing of the frame unit has been completed normally by checking whether the transfer portion has been transferred to the support member of the frame unit. For example, in the substrate processing method according to the present invention, a determination step is further provided for determining whether the processing step has been performed normally, and the transfer unit includes a normal transfer unit that is transferred when the processing step has been performed normally, and an abnormal transfer unit that is transferred when the processing step has not been performed normally.If the determination step determines that the processing step has been performed normally, the transfer step sucks and holds the support member in the normal transfer unit, and transfers the normal transfer unit onto the support member.If the determination step determines that an abnormality has occurred in the processing step, the abnormal transfer unit sucks and holds the support member, and transfers the abnormal transfer unit onto the support member.By checking the transfer formed on the support member, it is possible to determine not only whether processing has been performed on the frame unit, but also whether the processing that has been performed has been performed normally. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a frame unit. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a frame unit equipped with a TAIKO substrate. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a cutting device as a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the holding table of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 4 is a plan view illustrating an example of a transfer unit included in a support member holding area of ​​the holding table according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views illustrating the formation of a mark by transfer of a transfer portion onto a support member in a transfer step when a transfer promoting unit is used. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views illustrating the formation of a mark by transferring a transfer portion onto a support member in a transfer step when an internal heater is used. [Figure 8] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a laser processing apparatus which is a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 9] 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which laser processing is being performed while the substrate is suction-held in the substrate holding area of ​​the holding table of the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a holding surface of a holding table according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a transfer step is performed in a state in which a support member is suction-held in a support member holding area of ​​the holding table according to the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a holding table according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating a holding surface of a holding table according to a third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an inspection device that is a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 15] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a grinding apparatus which is a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 16] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a polishing apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 17] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a spinner cleaning apparatus that is a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 18] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an ultraviolet irradiation device which is a substrate processing apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 1 is, for example, a silicon wafer, and a plurality of dividing lines 901 are set on a surface 900 of the substrate 90 so as to intersect with each other at right angles. Devices 902 are formed in each of the lattice-like regions partitioned by the dividing lines 901. Note that the substrate 90 is not limited to a silicon wafer, and may be made of gallium arsenide, sapphire, gallium nitride, resin, ceramics, silicon carbide, or the like, in addition to silicon.

[0011] A support member 91 having a larger diameter than the substrate 90 is attached to a back surface 903 of the substrate 90, and the outer periphery of the adhesive surface of the support member 91 is attached to the underside of an annular frame 92. The substrate 90 is supported by the frame 92 via the support member 91, and is thus in a state where it can be handled by the frame 92, i.e., it forms a frame unit 9.

[0012] The support member 91 is an adhesive sheet having an adhesive layer such as glue laminated on a base layer made of a polymer resin (e.g., PET). Alternatively, the support member 91 may be, for example, a thermocompression sheet without a polyolefin-based adhesive layer. That is, the support member 91 is preferably, for example, a polyolefin-based polyethylene sheet or polypropylene sheet, which are polymer resins, or a polystyrene sheet, etc. Because this thermocompression sheet does not have an adhesive layer, it cannot be adhered to the substrate 90 or frame 92 at room temperature. However, since the support member 91 is a polyolefin-based sheet, it has thermoplastic properties. When the support member 91 is heated to a temperature near its melting point while being bonded to the substrate 90 or the like while applying a predetermined pressure in a tape mounter or the like, it partially melts and can be adhered to the substrate 90 or the like. Note that the support member 91 is preferably a plastic material that can deform to follow the transfer portion 308 of the holding table 3 when suctioned by the holding table 3 (see FIG. 4 ) in contact with the support member 91 and easily maintains the shape of the transferred transfer portion 308. The type of the polymer resin is not limited to the above example.

[0013] The frame unit 99 shown in FIG. 2 is the same as the frame unit 9 shown in FIG. 1 except that the substrate 90 is a so-called TAIKO substrate 98. The TAIKO substrate 98 is formed by thinning the central region of the back surface 903 of the substrate 90 shown in FIG. 2 and forming a single-stage support ring 904, which is a circular convex portion, around the outer periphery of the back surface 903. The support ring 904 prevents cracking of the substrate 90 when handling the substrate 90 alone. The support ring 904 of the TAIKO substrate 98 has recesses formed inside the support ring 904 that will eventually be separated into chips each including a device 902. In FIG. 2, for example, in the process of removing the support ring 904 from the TAIKO substrate 98 by circle cutting (described later), the front surface 900 is attached to the support member 91. However, the back surface 903 may be attached to the support member 91, with the front surface 900 exposed upward.

[0014] 3 (hereinafter referred to as cutting device 1) is a device that performs cutting processing on a frame unit 9 held by suction on a holding table 3 (hereinafter referred to as holding table 3 of embodiment 1) by rotating a cutting blade 163 of a cutting unit 16 to cut into the frame unit 9. The cutting device 1 may be of a type that is capable of dual dicing (simultaneous cutting on two axes) on the frame unit 9.

[0015] A cutting feed mechanism 11 that reciprocates the holding table 3 in the cutting feed direction (X-axis direction) is disposed on a base 10 of the cutting device 1. In the cutting feed mechanism 11, when a motor 112 rotates a ball screw 110 having an axis in the X-axis direction, a movable plate 113 is guided to slide on a guide rail 111 and moves in the X-axis direction, and the holding table 3 disposed on the movable plate 113 via a table rotation mechanism 15 moves in the X-axis direction.

[0016] A gantry column 100 is erected on the rear side (+X direction side) of the base 10 so as to straddle the cutting feed mechanism 11. An indexing feed mechanism 12 is disposed in front of the gantry column 100, which moves the cutting unit 16 back and forth in the Y-axis direction, which is perpendicular to the X-axis direction in a horizontal plane. When a motor 122 rotates a ball screw 120 having an axis in the Y-axis direction, the indexing feed mechanism 12 moves the movable plate 123 in the Y-axis direction while being guided so as to slide on the guide rail 121, and the cutting unit 16 disposed on the movable plate 123 via the cutting feed mechanism 13 is indexed and fed in the Y-axis direction.

[0017] A cutting feed mechanism 13 that reciprocates the cutting unit 16 in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is disposed on the movable plate 123. In the cutting feed mechanism 13, when a motor 132 rotates a ball screw 130 having an axis in the Z-axis direction, a support member 133 is accordingly guided by a guide rail 131 and moves in the Z-axis direction, and the cutting unit 16 supported by the support member 133 is cut-fed in the Z-axis direction.

[0018] The cutting unit 16, which is a processing unit that performs cutting processing on the frame unit 9 held on the holding table 3, is equipped with a rotating shaft 160 whose axial direction is in the Y-axis direction, a housing 161 that is fixed to the lower end of the support member 133 and rotatably supports the rotating shaft 160, a motor (not shown) that rotates the rotating shaft 160, and a circular cutting blade 163 attached to the rotating shaft 160, and as the motor (not shown) rotates and drives the rotating shaft 160, the cutting blade 163 also rotates at high speed. In addition, cutting water such as pure water is supplied to the contact point between the substrate 90 and the cutting blade 163 from a pair of cutting water nozzles 164 that sandwich the cutting blade 163 in the blade thickness direction (Y-axis direction) and from a cutting water nozzle (not shown) located diagonally above the radial direction of the cutting blade 163, thereby cooling and cleaning the contact point.

[0019] An alignment unit 17 is disposed on the side of the housing 161 for capturing and detecting the planned dividing lines 901 of the substrate 90. The alignment unit 17 is equipped with lighting, an optical system for capturing reflected light from the frame unit 9, and a camera 170 configured with an image sensor (CCD) or the like, and can detect the target planned dividing lines 901 of the substrate 90 based on the image captured by the camera 170 through image processing such as pattern matching.

[0020] The cutting device 1 holds, for example, the entire back surface 903 of the substrate 90 with a support member 91 interposed therebetween, and is equipped with a holding table 3 having a holding surface 302 that holds at least a part of the support member 91. The structure of the holding table 3 will be described in detail. The holding table 3 shown in Figures 3 and 4 has a circular outer shape in a plan view and includes, for example, a circular plate-shaped porous member 30 and a frame 301 that supports the porous member 30 in a concave interior. As shown in Figure 4, the entire porous member 30 is connected to a suction source 39 such as an ejector mechanism or a vacuum generator, and the suction force generated by the suction source 39 is transmitted to a holding surface 302, which is the flat upper surface of the porous member 30, allowing the holding table 3 to suction-hold the substrate 90 on the holding surface 302 via the support member 91.

[0021] For example, two clamps 305 are disposed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around the holding table 3 to clamp and fix the frame 92. The number of clamps 305 may be four. The clamps 305 are, for example, mechanical clamps.

[0022] 4, the holding table 3 can be rotated by a table rotation mechanism 15. The table rotation mechanism 15 rotates a rotation shaft 151 connected to the frame body 301 via a table base 33 around the Z axis by a motor (not shown). The table rotation mechanism 15 may be a pulley mechanism or the like.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 4, a suction groove 303 is formed concentrically around the center of the holding table 3 on the bottom surface of the recess of the frame body 301. Furthermore, a suction path 390 is formed from the bottom surface of the suction groove 303 to the underside of the frame body 301, and further from the underside and table base 33 to the rotating shaft 150. The suction path 390 is connected to the suction source 39 via a rotary joint 153 connected to the rotating shaft 150 and a suction pipe 391. The rotary joint 153 transfers the suction force generated by the suction source 39 to the rotating shaft 150 without any omission. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, a solenoid valve 393 is provided in the suction pipe 391, which can switch between a state in which the porous member 30 and the suction source 39 are connected and a state in which they are not connected. Note that the substrate 90 is shown in a simplified form in FIG. 4.

[0024] The holding surface 302 of the holding table 3 in embodiment 1 has a substrate holding area 306 which is a flat surface and holds the substrate 90, and a support member holding area 307 which holds the support member 91 exposed between the substrate 90 and the frame 92, and the support member holding area 307 includes, for example, a concave transfer portion 308.

[0025] In this embodiment, the substrate holding area 306 is made up of a porous member 30, and has a flat surface that is circular in plan view and has a diameter that is the same as or slightly larger than the diameter of the substrate 90 shown in Fig. 4. The support member holding area 307 is made up of a porous member 30 located outside the outer periphery of the substrate 90, and a frame 301, and the upper surfaces of the porous member 30 and the frame 301 are formed flush with each other, forming a circular ring shape in plan view.

[0026] 4 and 5, a transfer portion 308 is formed by cutting out a support member holding region 307, which is a part of the porous member 30 located outside the outer periphery of the substrate 90, in a cylindrical shape in the thickness direction. Note that the transfer portion 308 may be cut out in a prismatic or spherical shape, or may be formed in a convex shape (for example, a hemispherical convex shape) extending upward from the top surface of the porous member 30 located outside the outer periphery of the substrate 90.

[0027] For example, the transfer portion 308 may be formed by only a recess, as shown in FIG. 4, or by only a protrusion, or by a combination of a recess and a protrusion. For example, a hemispherical protrusion, also circular in plan view, may be combined with the center of a recess, also circular in plan view. The transfer portion 308 may be a code, such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code, formed in at least one of a recessed or protruding shape on the support member holding region 307, or may be formed by characters (alphabet, numbers, etc.) formed in a recessed or protruding shape. Alternatively, the transfer portion 308 may be formed by combining multiple types of such recessed or protruding transfer portions. For example, a plurality of transfer portions 308 may be formed in the support member holding region 307 of the porous member 30, for example, at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. It is preferable that the concave or convex corners and ridges of the transfer portion 308 are chamfered and rounded to prevent the support member 91 sucked by the support member holding area 307 from being torn.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 3, the cutting device 1 according to the present invention includes a control unit 19 that controls each component of the device. The control unit 19 includes electronic components and electronic circuits, such as a processor that performs arithmetic processing according to a control program and a storage medium such as a memory. The control unit 19 is electrically connected to the cutting feed mechanism 11, the indexing feed mechanism 12, the incision feed mechanism 13, the table rotation mechanism 15, and the cutting unit 16 (processing unit 16), for example, via a wired or wireless communication path, and performs feedback control of the cutting feed operation of the holding table 3 by the cutting feed mechanism 11, the rotation operation of the holding table 3 by the table rotation mechanism 15, and the rotation operation of the cutting blade 163 in the cutting unit 16.

[0029] The following describes the operation of each part of the cutting device 1 when the cutting device 1 cuts the substrate 90 of the frame unit 9 shown in Fig. 3. Additionally, a substrate processing method according to the present invention using the cutting device 1 will also be described.

[0030] (1) Holding step First, the substrate 90 forming the frame unit 9 is placed on the holding surface 302 of the holding table 3 with the surface 900 facing upward, as shown in Fig. 4. That is, the substrate 90 is placed on the substrate holding area 306 via the support members 91, and the support members 91 exposed between the substrate 90 and the frame 92 are placed on the support member holding area 307.

[0031] Then, with the solenoid valve 393 open, the suction force generated by the suction source 39 is transmitted to the holding surface 302, causing the holding table 3 to suction-hold the substrate 90 in the substrate holding region 306 and also to suction-hold the support member 91 in the support member holding region 307. In addition, the frame 92 is clamped and fixed by the clamp 305. This completes the holding step in which the frame unit 9 is held by the holding surface 302 of the holding table 3.

[0032] (2) Processing steps Next, a processing step is performed in which the frame unit 9 held on the holding table 3 is cut by the cutting unit 16 shown in Fig. 3, which is a processing unit. The cutting feed mechanism 11 feeds the holding table 3 in the +X direction, and the alignment unit 17 performs imaging and pattern matching of the substrate 90, and the coordinate position of the intended dividing line 901 along which the cutting blade 163 of the cutting unit 16 should cut is detected.

[0033] As the coordinate position of the planned division line 901 is detected, the cutting unit 16 is moved in the Y-axis direction by the indexing feed mechanism 12, and the planned division line 901 to be cut and the cutting blade 163 are aligned in the Y-axis direction.

[0034] Next, the holding table 3 holding the frame unit 9 is further fed in the +X direction at a predetermined cutting feed speed. Also, the cutting feed mechanism 13 lowers the cutting unit 16, and the cutting unit 16 is positioned at a predetermined height where, for example, the cutting blade 163 cuts through the back surface 903 of the substrate 90 and reaches the support member 91.

[0035] A motor (not shown) rotates the rotary shaft 160 at high speed, for example, in a clockwise direction when viewed from the -Y direction side, and a cutting blade 163 (shown in Fig. 4) attached to the rotary shaft 160 rotates at high speed accordingly, cutting into the substrate 90 moving in the +X direction toward the back of the page and cutting (e.g., down-cutting) the planned division line 901 (see Fig. 3). In addition, cutting water is supplied to the contact point between the cutting blade 163 and the substrate 90 from a pair of cutting water nozzles 164 (shown in Fig. 3) or the like, to cool and clean the contact point.

[0036] Then, when the frame unit 9 advances in the +X direction to a predetermined position in the X-axis direction where the cutting blade 163 finishes cutting one division line 901, the cutting feed mechanism 11 (shown in FIG. 3 ) temporarily stops cutting the frame unit 9, the incision feed mechanism 13 raises the cutting blade 163 away from the substrate 90, and the cutting feed mechanism 11 then feeds the holding table 3 in the -X direction to return it to the cutting start position. Concurrently, the cutting unit 16 is indexed and fed in the Y-axis direction by the indexing feed mechanism 12 at intervals between adjacent division lines 901, thereby sequentially performing similar cutting, and thereby cutting all of the division lines 901 in the same direction. Furthermore, when the holding table 3 is rotated 90 degrees and similar cutting is performed, all of the division lines 901 are fully cut vertically and horizontally, and the frame unit 9 is divided into individual chips each having a device 902.

[0037] (3) Transcription step 4, only one vacuum line, suction path 390, is connected to holding table 3, and therefore the transfer step described below is carried out in parallel with the holding step and processing step described above, and the transfer step is completed together with the holding step and processing step. Below, a specific description is given of the transfer step in which support member 91 is held by suction in support member holding area 307 including at least transfer portion 308, and the shape of transfer portion 308 is transferred to the portion of support member 91 between substrate 90 and frame 92, thereby marking that the processing step has been carried out.

[0038] In the transfer step, which is performed in parallel with the holding step and the processing step, the suction force generated by the suction source 39 is already transmitted to the holding surface 302 during the holding step, and the holding table 3 suction-holds the substrate 90 in the substrate holding area 306 and the support member 91 in the support member holding area 307. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the transfer unit 308 is a circular recess in a plan view, the support member 91 is drawn into the transfer unit 308 to which the suction force is transmitted. As a result, the mark 913 shown in FIG. 4 transferred by the transfer unit 308 to the portion of the support member 91 between the substrate 90 and the frame 92 becomes a circle in a plan view. For example, if the transfer unit 308 has a character such as "Completed" or a mark indicating completion of cleaning formed in at least one of a convex and a concave shape, the mark 913 transferred to the portion of the support member 91 between the substrate 90 and the frame 92 becomes, for example, "Completed." For example, if the transfer unit 308 is convex, the mark 913 on the support member 91 will have a convex shape.

[0039] Then, as explained above, after the substrate 90 is divided into individual chips each including a device 902, for example, by shutting off the power supply from the control unit 19 to the solenoid valve 393, the transmission of the suction force generated by the suction source 39 shown in FIG. 4 to the holding surface 302 is stopped, and the suction holding of the substrate 90 and the support member 91 by the holding surface 302 of the holding table 3 is released. This completes the processing step for one frame unit 9 and also the transfer step. The mark 913 transferred to the support member 91 then becomes a mark that the substrate 90 in the frame unit 9 has been cut by the cutting unit 16, and for the substrate 90 that is then handled using the frame 92, for example, an operator or the like can determine whether the cutting process has been performed by checking whether or not the mark 913 transferred by the transfer unit 308 is present on the support member 91.

[0040] 3 is a frame unit 99 having a TAIKO substrate 98 shown in FIG. 2, and while rotating the holding table 3 that holds the frame unit 99 relative to the cutting unit 16, the boundary between the inner peripheral edge of the support ring 904 and the recess is cut to cut the support ring 904 of the TAIKO substrate 98 into a ring shape, for example, in such a case. This is useful because an operator can determine whether or not the circle cut has been performed by checking the mark 913 shown in FIG. 4 where the transfer portion 308 is transferred to the support member 91. In other words, while it was conventionally difficult for an operator to visually determine whether or not the support ring 904 of the TAIKO substrate 98 had been removed if the support ring 904 was narrow, the operator can now immediately determine whether or not the circle cut has been performed by checking the mark 913.

[0041] For example, in order to make the above-mentioned transfer step more efficient and to make the mark 913 transferred by the transfer unit 308 clearly recognizable, the cutting device 1 may be equipped with a transfer promotion unit 14, as shown in FIG. 6, which, when the transfer unit 308 transfers to the area between the substrate 90 and the frame 92 of the support member 91 to form the mark 913, heats the support member 91, for example, to enable the transfer to be carried out more appropriately.

[0042] The transfer promotion unit 14 includes an arm lifting mechanism 140 such as an electric cylinder or air cylinder shown in FIG. 6 that is disposed on the base 10 (see FIG. 3), an arm portion 141 that is attached to the arm lifting mechanism 140 and extends horizontally above the movement path of the holding table 3 that moves in the X-axis direction, a turning mechanism such as a rotary cylinder or motor (not shown) that turns the arm portion 141, and a hot air injection nozzle 145 that is attached to the underside of the tip of the arm portion 141. The transfer promotion unit 14 is also electrically connected to the control unit 19 shown in FIG. 3. The hot air injection nozzle 145 may be an infrared heater or the like.

[0043] The hot air injection nozzle 145 has an injection port formed at its lower end that opens toward the holding surface 302 of the holding table 3. The arm portion 141 and the hot air injection nozzle 145 are, for example, rotatable about a rotation axis whose axial direction is the Z-axis direction, and the position of the injection port may be movable from above the holding table 3 to a retracted position. The hot air injection nozzle 145 communicates with an air supply source 146 made up of a compressor or the like capable of sending out compressed air, and is equipped with a heater or the like inside.

[0044] The operation of the transfer promotion unit 14 during the transfer step described above will be described. In this case, the transfer step continues for a predetermined time even after the processing step is completed, so that the transfer promotion unit 14 can continue to promote transfer. For example, after the substrate 90 is properly divided into individual chips each including a device 902, the control unit 19 shown in FIG. 3 recognizes the position of the transfer unit 308 in the support member holding area 307 in the horizontal plane from the rotation angle of the holding table 3. Furthermore, the control unit 19 controls the rotation of the arm unit 141 shown in FIG. 6 to position the nozzle of the hot air spray nozzle 145 above the transfer unit 308. Then, upon receiving an operation command from the control unit 19, the nozzle of the hot air spray nozzle 145 sprays hot air 147 toward the portion of the support member 91 that has already been drawn into the transfer unit 308. As a result, the portion of the support member 91 that will become the mark 913 is temporarily softened by heat, resulting in a more clearly formed mark 913 where the transfer unit 308 is transferred.

[0045] After spraying the hot air 147 for a certain period of time, the hot air spray nozzle 145 stops spraying the hot air 147, and the area of ​​the support member 91 where the mark 913 was formed cools and hardens with the mark 913 clearly formed. Next, the transmission of the suction force to the holding surface 302 is blocked by the solenoid valve 393, and the suction holding of the substrate 90 and the support member 91 by the holding surface 302 is released, completing the transfer step.

[0046] For example, instead of the hot air ejection nozzle 145 shown in FIG. 6, the transfer facilitating unit 14 may include a fluid ejection nozzle 148 shown in FIG. 6. The fluid ejection nozzle 148 is connected to an air source (not shown) capable of ejecting compressed air or a water source (not shown) capable of supplying high-pressure water. As described above, after the cutting process of the substrate 90 is completed and the nozzle of the fluid ejection nozzle 148 is positioned above the transfer unit 308, high-pressure fluid 144 (high-pressure air or high-pressure water) is ejected from the nozzle of the fluid ejection nozzle 148 toward the portion of the support member 91 that has been drawn into the transfer unit 308. The pressing force of the fluid 144 then sucks the support member 91 into the transfer unit 308, thereby more clearly forming the transferred mark 913. The transfer promotion process by the transfer promotion unit 14 may be carried out simultaneously with the cutting process of the substrate 90 by the cutting unit 16, which is a processing step, or, if it has an adverse effect on the cutting process, which is a processing step, it may be carried out after the cutting of the substrate 90 by the cutting unit 16 is completed, i.e., after the processing step is completed, as in this embodiment.

[0047] In order to make the above-mentioned transfer step more efficient and to make the mark 913 formed by the transfer of the transfer unit 308 onto the support member 91 clearly recognizable, the cutting device 1 may be provided with an internal heater 149, as shown in FIG. 7, which heats the support member 91 to facilitate transfer when the transfer unit 308 performs transfer between the substrate 90 and the frame 92 of the support member 91 to form the mark 913 on the support member 91.

[0048] The internal heater 149 is embedded, for example, in a position directly below the transfer unit 308 in the frame 301 of the holding table 3. There are no limitations on the type of the internal heater 149, but if the internal heater 149 is, for example, a far-infrared heater, it is preferable that the frame 301 be made of a transparent body.

[0049] In the transfer step, which is performed in parallel with the processing steps described above, the holding table 3 suction-holds the substrate 90 in the substrate holding area 306 and also suction-holds the support member 91 in the support member holding area 307, so that the area of ​​the support member 91 between the substrate 90 and the frame 92 is drawn into the transfer section 308, which is a circular recess in a plan view. Then, under the control of the control unit 19 shown in FIG. 3, the internal heater 149 heats the transfer section 308 from inside the frame 301. As a result, the area of ​​the support member 91 that will become the mark 913 is temporarily softened by the heat, and the mark 913 where the mark 308 is transferred is more clearly formed. Furthermore, when the internal heater 149 is stopped, the area of ​​the support member 91 where the mark 913 was formed cools and hardens, leaving the mark 913 clearly formed. The transfer promotion step, which promotes transfer using the transfer promotion unit 14, may be carried out simultaneously with the processing step or holding step, or may be carried out after the processing step has been carried out with the frame unit 9 held on the holding table 3 if it is desired to carry out the transfer step only if the processing step has been carried out normally, or if it would have an adverse effect on the processing step.

[0050] The substrate processing apparatus 2 (hereinafter referred to as the laser processing apparatus 2) shown in Figure 8 is an apparatus that performs laser processing by irradiating a laser beam onto a substrate 90 of a frame unit 9 held on a holding table 35 (hereinafter referred to as the holding table 35 of embodiment 2).

[0051] A Y-axis movement unit 22, which is composed of a ball screw mechanism or the like that reciprocates a holding table 35 in the Y-axis direction, which is the indexing feed direction, is disposed on the base 20 of the laser processing device 2. When a motor 222 rotates a ball screw 220 of the Y-axis movement unit 22, a movable plate 223 is accordingly guided by a guide rail 221 and moves in the Y-axis direction, and the holding table 35, which is disposed on the movable plate 223 via the X-axis movement unit 21 and the table rotation mechanism 23, also moves in the Y-axis direction.

[0052] In the X-axis movement unit 21, which reciprocates the holding table 35 in the X-axis direction, which is the processing feed direction, when the motor 212 rotates the ball screw 210, the movable plate 213 is guided by the guide rails 211 and moves in the X-axis direction, and the holding table 35, which is disposed on the movable plate 213 via the table rotation mechanism 23, also moves in the X-axis direction. The holding table 35 can be rotated on the movable plate 213 by the table rotation mechanism 23 about the Z-axis.

[0053] A column 203 is erected at the rear (+Y direction side) of the base 20, and a laser irradiation unit 24, which is a processing unit that laser processes the frame unit 9 held on the holding table 35, is disposed in front of the column 203. The laser irradiation unit 24 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped casing 240. The casing 240 extends horizontally in the Y-axis direction, and an irradiation head 241 is disposed at the tip of the casing 240, and the movement path of the holding table 35 is located directly below the irradiation head 241.

[0054] A laser oscillator (not shown), such as a YAG pulse laser, is disposed inside the casing 240, and a laser beam emitted horizontally in the −Y direction from the laser oscillator (not shown) is reflected in the −Z direction by a mirror (not shown) and enters a condenser lens inside the irradiation head 241, and is then condensed and irradiated onto the substrate 90 held by suction on the holding table 35. The height position of the condensing point of the laser beam can be adjusted in the Z-axis direction by a condensing point position adjusting means (not shown).

[0055] At the tip of the casing 240, an alignment unit 242 is arranged next to the irradiation head 241 and is configured with a camera or the like for detecting the position of the planned dividing line 901 of the substrate 90.

[0056] The holding table 35 of the second embodiment has some of the same configuration as the holding table 3 of the first embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4, and therefore the same configuration is denoted by the same reference numerals as in Figures 3 and 4. Compared to the holding table 3 of the first embodiment, the holding table 35 further has a first partition wall 351 that separates the substrate holding area 306 and the support member holding area 307.

[0057] The first partition wall 351 shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 is, for example, an air-impermeable hard material (such as ceramic) and is an annular wall in plan view. As shown in FIG. 9, the first partition wall 351 is erected from the bottom surface of the recess in the frame 301. The upper end surface of the first partition wall 351 is formed flush with the holding surface 302 excluding the transfer portion 308. The first partition wall 351 may be a porous material having finer pores than the porous member 30 forming the holding surface 302 and having low air permeability. Alternatively, the outer surface of a circular porous member may be immersed in glass or resin and then hardened to block the pores of the porous member, i.e., the outer surface may be coated with glass or resin. The coated portion serves as the first partition wall 351, and a circular porous plate having a support member holding area may be disposed further outside the first partition wall 351.

[0058] In the holding table 35 of embodiment 2, the substrate holding area 306 is connected to a suction source 39 such as a vacuum generator via a first suction path 390, a suction pipe 391, and a solenoid valve 393 shown in FIG. 9, and the support member holding area 307 is connected to the suction source 39 via a second suction path 354 separate from the first suction path 390.

[0059] For example, a second suction path 354 penetrating through the frame 301 in the thickness direction is formed in an area corresponding to the support member holding area 307 on the bottom surface of the recess of the frame 301 of the holding table 35, the area being outside the first partition wall 351, and the second suction path 354 further passes through the table base 33, the rotation shaft 150, and is connected to the suction source 39 via the rotary joint 153 and second suction piping 356. For example, a second solenoid valve 357 is provided in the second suction piping 356, which can switch between a communicating state and a non-communicating state between the support member holding area 307 and the suction source 39. The solenoid valve 393 and the second solenoid valve 357 shown in FIG. 9 are operated by receiving power from the control unit 19 shown in FIG.

[0060] The control unit 19 that controls each component of the laser processing apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 8 is electrically connected to the X-axis moving unit 21, the Y-axis moving unit 22, the table rotation mechanism 23, and the laser irradiation unit 24 (processing unit 24), for example, via a wired or wireless communication path, and controls the movement of the holding table 35 in the X-axis direction by the X-axis moving unit 21, the rotation of the holding table 35 by the table rotation mechanism 23, and the laser beam irradiation operation by the laser irradiation unit 24, etc.

[0061] The following describes the operation of each part of the laser processing apparatus 2 when the laser processing apparatus 2 is used to laser process the substrate 90 shown in Fig. 8. Additionally, a substrate processing method according to the present invention using the laser processing apparatus 2 will also be described. In the frame unit 9 shown in Fig. 8, the front surface 900 of the substrate 90 is attached to the support member 91, and the back surface 903 is exposed upward.

[0062] (1) Holding step First, the substrate 90 forming the frame unit 9 is placed on the holding surface 302 of the holding table 35 with the back surface 903 facing upward. That is, the substrate 90 is placed on the substrate holding area 306 via the support members 91, and the support members 91 exposed between the substrate 90 and the frame 92 are placed on the support member holding area 307.

[0063] 9, which receives an operation signal from the control unit 19, brings the first suction path 390 shown in FIG. 9 into communication with the substrate holding area 306. Also, under the control of the control unit 19, the second solenoid valve 357 brings the second suction path 354 into communication with the support member holding area 307. Then, the suction force generated by the suction source 39 is transmitted only to the substrate holding region 306, causing the holding table 35 to suction-hold the substrate 90 in the substrate holding region 306. Also, the frame 92 is clamped and fixed by the clamp 305. This completes the holding step in which the frame unit 9 is held by the holding surface 302 of the holding table 35. Because the first partition 351 prevents the suction force transmitted to the substrate holding region 306 from being transmitted to the support member holding region 307, the support member 91 is not being suction-held by the support member holding region 307.

[0064] (2) Processing steps Next, a processing step is carried out in which the frame unit 9 held by the holding table 35 is subjected to laser processing by the laser irradiation unit 24, which is a processing unit. The frame unit 9 held on the holding table 35 is sent in the +X direction, and the position of the planned division line 901, which serves as a reference for irradiating the laser beam, is detected by the alignment unit 242. Note that the alignment unit 242 may be capable of performing imaging by irradiating infrared light so as to detect the planned division line 901 by transmitting it from the back surface 903 side.

[0065] The holding table 35 is indexed and fed in the Y-axis direction, and the irradiation head 241 is aligned in the Y-axis direction with the planned division line 901, which serves as a reference for irradiating the laser beam. Next, the focal point of the laser beam condensed by a condenser lens (not shown) is positioned, for example, at a predetermined height position inside the substrate 90. Then, under the control of the control unit 19, a laser oscillator (not shown) oscillates a laser beam 249 shown in FIG. 9 having a wavelength that is transparent to the substrate 90, and the laser beam 249 is condensed and irradiated from the back surface 903 side onto the inside of the substrate 90 held by suction in the substrate holding region 306 of the holding table 35.

[0066] While irradiating the substrate 90 with a laser beam 249 along the planned dividing lines 901 (see FIG. 8), the substrate 90 shown in FIG. 9 is processed and fed in the +X direction (toward the depth of the page) at a predetermined processing feed rate. The laser beam 249 is transparent to the substrate 90 before reaching a height position that becomes the focusing point inside the substrate 90, but the laser beam 249 that reaches the focusing point position exhibits locally high absorption characteristics in the substrate 90. Therefore, the substrate 90 near the focusing point position is modified by absorbing the laser beam 249, and a modified layer 248 that becomes the dividing starting point is formed mainly upward from the focusing point position. Note that the laser processing may be a process in which the substrate 90 is cut along the planned dividing lines 901 by ablating the laser beam 249 from the front surface 900 side.

[0067] When the substrate 90 advances in the +X direction to a predetermined position in the X-axis direction where irradiation of the laser beam 249 along one planned division line 901 ends, irradiation of the laser beam 249 is stopped and processing feed of the substrate 90 in the +X direction is stopped.

[0068] Next, the holding table 35 is indexed in the Y-axis direction, and during processing feed in the +X direction (processing feed in the forward direction), the irradiation head 241 is aligned in the Y-axis direction with the dividing line 901 located next to the dividing line 901 that served as the reference when irradiating the laser beam 249. After alignment, the substrate 90 is processed feed in the -X direction (processing feed in the backward direction), and the laser beam 249 is irradiated onto the substrate 90 along one dividing line 901 in the same manner as in the irradiation of the laser beam 249 in the forward direction, thereby forming modified layers 248. By sequentially irradiating the laser beam 249 in the same manner, modified layers 248 are formed along all of the dividing lines 901 extending in the X-axis direction.

[0069] 9 is rotated 90 degrees and then the substrate 90 is similarly irradiated with the laser beam 249, it is possible to form modified layers 248 on the substrate 90 along all of the vertical and horizontal planned dividing lines 901. This completes the processing step.

[0070] (3) Transcription step For example, the control unit 19 shown in Figure 8 of the laser processing device 2 includes a processor, a memory which is a storage medium, and the like, and further includes a judgment unit 193 which performs a judgment step which judges whether the laser processing step by the laser irradiation unit 24 which is a processing unit has been completed normally, and a command unit 194 which issues a command to perform the transfer step only if the laser processing step has been completed normally, and which terminates the process without performing the transfer step if the laser processing step has not been completed normally.

[0071] 8 determines that the processing step has been completed successfully if the modified layers 248 have been formed on the substrate 90 along all of the vertical and horizontal planned division lines 901 as described above. When the command unit 194 receives notification from the determination unit 193 that the processing step has been completed successfully, the command unit 194 sends an operation signal to the second solenoid valve 357, as shown in FIG. 11, to communicate the first suction path 390 with the substrate holding area 306, and also to communicate the second suction path 354 with the support member holding area 307. Note that, during the transfer step, the transmission of suction force to the substrate holding area 306 may be interrupted.

[0072] As a result, the suction force generated by the suction source 39 is transmitted to the support member holding area 307, and the holding table 35 suction-holds the substrate 90 in the substrate holding area 306, while also suction-holding the support member 91 in the support member holding area 307. Then, because the transfer section 308 is a recess that is circular in plan view, the support member 91 is drawn into the transfer section 308. The mark 913 transferred by the transfer section 308 to the portion of the support member 91 between the substrate 90 and the frame 92 is a circle in plan view.

[0073] As described above, the transfer step in this embodiment is carried out after the processing step, and after the transfer step as described above is carried out for a predetermined time and the transfer unit 308 clearly forms the mark 913 in the portion of the support member 91 between the substrate 90 and the frame 92, the transmission of the suction force generated by the suction source 39 to the substrate holding region 306 and the support member holding region 307 is blocked by the solenoid valve 393 and the second solenoid valve 357 which receive an operation signal from the command unit 194, thereby releasing the suction hold of the substrate 90 and the support member 91 by the holding surface 302 of the holding table 35. This completes the transfer step for one frame unit 9. The mark 913 transferred onto the support member 91 shown in Figure 11 becomes a mark that indicates that, for example, a modified layer has been formed on the substrate 90 of the frame unit 9 by the laser irradiation unit 24, and for the substrate 90 that is then handled using the frame 92, an operator or the like can check whether or not the mark 913 with the transfer portion 308 transferred onto the support member 91 is present, thereby making it possible to determine whether or not the laser processing process has been completed properly. In particular, in the case where a modified layer 248 is formed inside the substrate 90 in the processing step, as in the present embodiment, it is difficult for an operator to determine whether the substrate 90 has been irradiated with the laser beam by looking at it, and therefore this is particularly useful because the operator can determine whether the modified layer formation process has been carried out by checking the mark 913 where the transfer portion 308 is transferred onto the support member 91.

[0074] In addition, the laser processing apparatus 2 may be equipped with the transfer promotion unit 14 shown in Figure 6 or the internal heater 149 shown in Figure 7, and as described above, the laser processing apparatus 2 may also use the transfer promotion unit 14 or the internal heater 149 in the transfer step to promote the formation of the mark 913 of the transfer section 308 on the support member 91 and to clearly form the mark 913.

[0075] 9 determines that a processing step, such as the formation of the modified layer 248 on the substrate 90 along the planned dividing line 901, has not been completed normally, the determination unit 193 notifies the command unit 194 of the determination that the processing step has not been completed normally, and the command unit 194 determines that the transfer step will not be performed. Then, the solenoid valve 393 receives an operation signal from the command unit 194 and blocks the transmission of the suction force generated by the suction source 39 to the substrate holding region 306, thereby releasing the suction hold of the substrate 90 by the holding surface 302 of the holding table 35, and the frame unit 9 can be removed from the holding table 35 without performing the transfer step.

[0076] As a result, for example, generally, frame units 9 in which laser processing has been performed on substrates 90 are stored in multiple shelves in a wafer cassette (not shown), and when an operator checks the multiple frame units 9 stored in the wafer cassette, he or she can quickly find frame units 9 that have not been properly laser processed because they do not have a mark 913 formed on the support member 91.

[0077] For example, when the object to be laser processed by the laser processing device 2 is a frame unit 99 having a TAIKO substrate 98 shown in Figure 2, and a circle cutting process is performed to cut the support ring 904 of the TAIKO substrate 98 into a ring shape by laser ablation, an operator can check for the presence or absence of a mark 913 on the support member 91 where the transfer portion 308 is transferred, which is useful because it allows the operator to determine whether or not a circle cut has been performed even if the width of the support ring 904 is narrow.

[0078] For example, the laser processing apparatus shown in Fig. 8 may be equipped with a holding table 36 of a third embodiment shown in Figs. 12 and 13, which will be described below. The holding table 36 of the third embodiment has some of the same configuration as the holding table 35 of the second embodiment shown in Figs. 9 and 10, and therefore the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0079] The holding table 36 of embodiment 3 has a second partition 362 that separates the transfer section 308 from other areas 309 of the support member holding area 307, and the substrate holding area 306 and other areas 309 of the support member holding area 307 excluding the transfer section 308 are connected to the suction source 39 via a third suction path 363, and the transfer section 308 is connected to the suction source 39 via a fourth suction path 364.

[0080] 12 and 13 is a wall made of, for example, an air-impermeable hard material (ceramic) and having a U-shape in plan view, and stands upright from the bottom surface of the recess in the frame body 301. The upper end surface of the second partition wall 362 is formed flush with the holding surface 302 excluding the transfer unit 308. The second partition wall 362 may be a porous member having finer pores than the porous member 30 that forms the holding surface 302. The side surface of the plate-shaped porous member 30 is covered with a ring-shaped partition wall (the inner surface of the frame body 301), not shown, and therefore the transfer unit 308 is partitioned by the U-shaped wall in plan view and the outer wall, resulting in a structure that does not leak during suction.

[0081] In this embodiment, for example, the transfer section 308 formed in the support member holding area 307 is surrounded on three sides by the second partition wall 362 and on one side by the inner surface of the frame body 301 shown in Figure 12, and is formed in a concave shape that is approximately rectangular in plan view.

[0082] As shown in Figure 12, in the holding table 36 of embodiment 3, the substrate holding area 306 and the other areas 309 of the support member holding area 307 excluding the transfer section 308 are connected to the suction source 39 via a third suction path 363, a suction pipe 391, and a solenoid valve 393, and the other areas 309 of the support member holding area 307 and the transfer section 308 separated by a second partition 362 are connected to the suction source 39 via a fourth suction path 364.

[0083] That is, for example, a fourth suction path 364 penetrating through the frame 301 in the thickness direction is formed in a location on the bottom surface of the recess in the frame 301 of the holding table 36 that corresponds to the transfer unit 308 and is located outside the second partition wall 362, and the fourth suction path 364 further passes through the table base 33, the rotation shaft 150, and is connected to the suction source 39 via the rotary joint 153 and a fourth suction pipe 366. For example, a fourth solenoid valve 368 is provided in the fourth suction pipe 366, which can switch between a communicating state and a non-communicating state between the transfer unit 308 and the suction source 39. The solenoid valve 393 and the fourth solenoid valve 368 are operated by receiving power from the control unit 19 shown in FIG.

[0084] In the holding table 36 of the third embodiment, similarly to the holding table 35 of the second embodiment, when modified layers 248 can be formed on the substrate 90 along all of the vertical and horizontal planned division lines 901 as shown in Fig. 12 (when the processing step is completed normally), the determining unit 193 shown in Fig. 8 performs a determining step of determining that the processing step has been completed normally. Then, the command unit 194 shown in Fig. 8 sends an operation signal to the fourth solenoid valve 368, and in addition to the state in the processing step in which the third suction path 363 is already communicated with the substrate holding region 306 and the other region 309 of the support member holding region 307, the command unit 194 also opens the fourth solenoid valve 368 to communicate the fourth suction path 364 with the transfer unit 308.

[0085] As a result, the suction force generated by the suction source 39 is transmitted to the transfer unit 308, and in addition to the state in which the holding table 36 is already suction-holding the substrate 90 and the support member 91 in the substrate holding area 306 and the other areas 309 of the support member holding area 307 excluding the transfer unit 308, the holding table 36 now suction-holds the support member 91 in the transfer unit 308. The support member 91 is then drawn into the transfer unit 308, which is a circular recess in a plan view, and the transfer unit 308 transfers / forms a mark 913 on the portion of the support member 91 between the substrate 90 and the frame 92.

[0086] In this way, the transfer step in this embodiment using the holding table 36 of embodiment 3 is performed only when the processing step is completed properly, and the mark 913 transferred to the support member 91 shown in Figure 12 becomes a mark that the substrate 90 of the frame unit 9 has been subjected to, for example, the formation of a modified layer by the laser irradiation unit 24, and then an operator or the like can check whether the mark 913 where the transfer portion 308 has been transferred is present on the support member 91, thereby making it possible to determine whether the laser processing process has been completed properly.

[0087] 14 (hereinafter referred to as inspection device 6) is a device that inspects the substrate 90 of the frame unit 9 held on the holding table 3 of embodiment 1, for example. Note that the inspection device 6 may also be equipped with the holding table 35 of embodiment 2 or the holding table 36 of embodiment 3. An X-axis moving mechanism 61 consisting of a ball screw mechanism or the like that moves the holding table 3 back and forth in the X-axis direction is disposed on the base 60 of the inspection device 6. When a motor 612 rotates a ball screw 610 of the X-axis moving mechanism 61, a movable plate 613 is guided by a guide rail 611 and moves in the X-axis direction accordingly, and the holding table 3 disposed on the movable plate 613 via a Y-axis moving mechanism 62 and a table rotation mechanism 63 also moves in the X-axis direction.

[0088] The Y-axis moving mechanism 62, which moves the holding table 3 back and forth in the Y-axis direction, moves the movable plate 623 in the Y-axis direction guided by the guide rail 621 when the motor 622 rotates the ball screw 620, and the holding table 3 arranged on the movable plate 623 via the table rotation mechanism 63 also moves in the Y-axis direction.

[0089] A column 603 having an inverted L shape when viewed from the side is erected at the rear (+Y direction side) of the base 60, and a camera 64, which is a processing unit that captures images of the frame unit 9 held on the holding table 3, is arranged on the underside of the tip of the column 603, and the movement path of the holding table 3 is located in the imaging area below the camera 64. For example, a monitor 65 is installed on the top surface of the column 603, and an image captured by a camera 64 can be displayed on the monitor 65.

[0090] The following describes the operation of each part of the inspection device 6 when inspecting the substrate 90 shown in Fig. 14 using the inspection device 6. Additionally, a substrate processing method according to the present invention using the inspection device 6 will also be described. The object of inspection by the inspection device 6 is, for example, a frame unit 9 including a substrate 90 that has been cut by the cutting device 1 shown in Fig. 3, and the inspection device 6 performs a kerf check or the like on the substrate 90. For example, the substrate 90 of the frame unit 9 has undergone a modified layer formation process therein by the laser processing device 2 shown in Fig. 8, and the inspection device 6 may inspect the presence or absence of damage to the device 902 due to splashes or scattering of the laser beam that may occur in the laser processing described above. The inspection device 6 may also inspect the frame unit 9 including the substrate 90 before the laser processing or cutting processing is performed.

[0091] (1) Holding step The first holding step is performed in substantially the same manner as the holding step described for the cutting device 1 shown in Fig. 3, and therefore will not be described here. The frame unit 9 held by suction on the holding table 3 is in a state where the surface 900 on which the cutting grooves 907 are formed is exposed on the upper side.

[0092] (2) Processing steps 14 moves the holding table 3 in the +X direction, the camera 64 captures an image of the surface 900 of the substrate 90, and the captured image is displayed on the monitor 65. For example, inspection is performed to check the kerf width of the cut grooves 907 formed along the planned division lines 901, and whether the cut grooves 907 are cutting into the devices 902. For example, if a large number of cut grooves 907 with abnormal kerf widths are found, or if a plurality of chips including abnormal devices 902 are found, the inspection device 6 may issue an anomaly notification from a speaker (not shown) or display a warning on the monitor 65. The processing step in this embodiment refers to the kerf check and the like described above.

[0093] (3) Transcription step In this embodiment, for example, the transfer step is performed in parallel with the processing step (e.g., kerf check), and the transfer step is completed together with the processing step. The transfer step performed in parallel with the processing step is performed in substantially the same manner as the transfer step described for the cutting device 1 shown in FIG. 3, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0094] After the processing step is completed, the suction force generated by the suction source 39 is no longer transmitted to the holding surface 302, thereby releasing the suction hold of the substrate 90 and the support member 91 by the holding surface 302. This also completes the transfer step for one frame unit 9. Thereafter, an operator or the like can check whether or not the mark 913 transferred to the support member 91 is present, thereby determining whether or not the inspection device 6 has inspected the substrate 90 of that frame unit 9.

[0095] 15 shows a grinding apparatus 40, which is an example of a substrate processing apparatus. The grinding apparatus 40 includes at least a holding table 3, such as that of the first embodiment, which is linearly movable in the horizontal direction (X-axis and Y-axis directions) by a ball screw mechanism or the like, and a grinding unit 42 which is movable up and down in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

[0096] Grinding unit 42, which is a processing unit that grinds substrate 90 of frame unit 9 held on holding table 3, includes a spindle 420 whose axial direction is the Z-axis direction (vertical direction), a housing 421 that rotatably supports spindle 420, a motor 422 that rotationally drives spindle 420, a circular plate-shaped mount 423 connected to the lower end of spindle 420, and a grinding wheel 424 that is detachably connected to the lower surface of mount 423. Grinding wheel 424 includes a wheel base 425 and a plurality of grinding stones 427, each of which has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and is attached in an annular shape to the bottom surface of wheel base 425.

[0097] Inside the spindle 420 shown in Figure 15, a flow path (not shown) is formed that connects to a grinding water supply source 428 consisting of a pump or the like via piping and serves as a passage for grinding water, passing through the spindle 420, mount 423, and wheel base 425 in the axial direction of the spindle 420, and the flow path has an opening on the underside of the wheel base 425 that can spray grinding water toward the grinding wheel 427 that comes into contact with the substrate 90.

[0098] The following describes the operation of each part of grinding apparatus 40 when grinding substrate 90 with grinding apparatus 40. Also described is a substrate processing method according to the present invention using grinding apparatus 40. Note that frame unit 9 shown in Fig. 15 is attached to support member 91 with front surface 900 of substrate 90 facing downward, and back surface 903 exposed upward.

[0099] (1) Holding step The substrate 90, which is a frame unit 9, is placed on the holding surface 302 of the holding table 3 with the back surface 903 facing up, and the suction force generated by the suction source 39 is transmitted to the holding surface 302, causing the holding table 3 to suction-hold the substrate 90 in the substrate holding area 306 and also to suction-hold the support member 91 in the support member holding area 307. The frame 92 is then clamped and fixed by the clamp 305, completing the holding step.

[0100] (2) Processing steps Next, the holding table 3 holding the substrate 90 moves horizontally to below the grinding unit 42. Then, the center of rotation of the grinding wheel 427 is shifted horizontally by a predetermined distance from the center of rotation of the substrate 90, and the grinding wheel 427 is positioned so that its rotational path passes through the center of rotation of the substrate 90.

[0101] The motor 422 rotates the spindle 420 at a predetermined rotational speed, which in turn rotates the grinding wheel 427. Then, the grinding unit 42 descends in the -Z direction, and the rotating grinding wheel 427 comes into contact with the back surface 903 of the substrate 90, thereby performing grinding. During grinding, the holding table 3 rotates at a predetermined rotational speed, which also rotates the substrate 90 held on the holding surface 302, so that the grinding wheel 427 grinds the entire back surface 903 of the substrate 90. In addition, grinding water is sent from a grinding water supply source 428 and passes through a flow path (not shown) and is supplied to the contact area between the grinding wheel 427 and the substrate 90, thereby cooling and cleaning the contact area.

[0102] (3) Transcription step In this embodiment, for example, the transfer step is performed in parallel with the processing step described above, and the transfer step is completed together with the processing step. The transfer step performed in parallel with the processing step is performed in substantially the same manner as the transfer step described for the cutting device 1 shown in FIG. 3, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0103] Then, after the processing step is completed and the grinding wheel 427 is separated from the substrate 90, the suction force generated by the suction source 39 is no longer transmitted to the holding surface 302, and the suction holding of the substrate 90 and the support member 91 by the holding surface 302 of the holding table 3 is released. Accordingly, the transfer step for one frame unit 9 is also completed. Thereafter, an operator or the like can check the mark 913 on the support member 91 where the transfer portion 308 is transferred, thereby determining whether or not the substrate 90 of that frame unit 9 has been ground.

[0104] The grinding device 40 may be, for example, a two-axis or more grinding device including a rough grinding unit and a finish grinding unit, multiple holding tables 3 on a rotating turntable, and capable of positioning the frame unit 9 held by suction on the holding tables 3 below the rough grinding unit or the finish grinding unit. In this case, for example, a transfer part of a different shape may be provided for each holding table 3. By doing so, after the transfer step is performed, an operator can check the mark transferred to the support member 91 of the frame unit 9 being inspected after grinding, for example, to track which holding table 3 the frame unit was held on when grinding was performed. In other words, if poor processing quality is discovered, the presence of a mark transferred by the transfer part on the support member 91 makes it possible to determine which holding table 3 is the cause. Furthermore, even in a grinding device 40 that has only one holding table 3, for example, the holding table 3 may need to be replaced. For example, if the replaced holding table 3 and the holding table 3 before replacement have transfer portions with different shapes, the frame unit 9 that has undergone grinding processing is stored in a wafer cassette (not shown).If an operator then checks the multiple frame units 9 stored in the wafer cassette and finds a frame unit 9 with poor processing quality, by checking the mark formed on the support member 91 of that frame unit, it becomes possible to determine whether the holding table 3 before replacement or the holding table 3 after replacement was defective.

[0105] 16 shows a polishing apparatus 45, which is an example of a substrate processing apparatus. The polishing apparatus 45 includes the holding table 3 of embodiment 1, which is movable, for example, in horizontal directions (X-axis and Y-axis directions), and a polishing unit 46, which is movable up and down in a vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The polishing unit 46, which is a processing unit that polishes the substrate 90 of the frame unit 9 held by the holding table 3, includes a spindle 460 whose axis direction is the Z-axis direction, a housing 461 that rotatably supports the spindle 460, a motor 462 that rotates and drives the spindle 460, a circular plate-shaped mount 463 connected to the lower end of the spindle 460, and a polishing pad 464 attached to the lower surface of the mount 463 via a circular plate-shaped platen 465.

[0106] The annular polishing pad 464 is made of, for example, nonwoven fabric such as felt, and has a size approximately equal to the diameter of the mount 463. Note that the polishing pad 464 may have a diameter larger than the diameter of the substrate 90 held on the holding table 3, for example, as in this embodiment.

[0107] 16, a polishing liquid flow path (not shown) extending in the Z-axis direction is formed inside from the spindle 460 to the platen 465, and this polishing liquid flow path is connected to a polishing liquid supply source 467 capable of supplying a polishing liquid (slurry). The polishing liquid supplied from the polishing liquid supply source 467 to the spindle 460 is supplied to the polishing pad 464 from an opening at the lower end of the polishing liquid flow path in the lower surface of the platen 465. The lower surface of the polishing pad 464, which abuts against the back surface 903 of the substrate 90, is formed with, for example, lattice-shaped grooves (not shown), and the polishing liquid supplied to the polishing pad 464 flows mainly within the lattice-shaped grooves and spreads over the entire lower surface of the polishing pad 464. The polishing device 45 may be configured to dry polish the substrate 90 instead of CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) using a polishing liquid.

[0108] The following describes the operation of each part of polishing apparatus 45 when polishing substrate 90 shown in Fig. 16 using polishing apparatus 45. Additionally, a substrate processing method according to the present invention using polishing apparatus 45 will also be described. Note that frame unit 9 shown in Fig. 16 is attached to support member 91 with front surface 900 of substrate 90 facing downward, and back surface 903 exposed upward.

[0109] (1) Holding step The holding step is performed in substantially the same manner as when grinding device 40 is used, and holding table 3 suction-holds substrate 90 with back surface 903 facing upward in substrate holding area 306, and also suction-holds support member 91 in support member holding area 307. Furthermore, frame 92 is clamped and fixed by clamp 305, completing the holding step.

[0110] (2) Processing steps Next, the holding table 3 holding the substrate 90 moves horizontally to below the polishing unit 46. Then, the substrate 90 is aligned with the polishing pad 464. In this embodiment, the holding table 3 is positioned at a predetermined position so that the lower surface of the polishing pad 464 always abuts against the entire back surface 903, which is the upper surface of the substrate 90, during polishing, i.e., so that the polishing pad 464 covers the entire back surface 903 of the substrate 90. In the example shown in FIG. 16 , for example, the polishing pad 464 is positioned so that part of the outer periphery of the polishing pad 464 overlaps part of the outer periphery of the substrate 90.

[0111] The polishing unit 46 descends, and the rotating polishing pad 464 abuts against the back surface 903 of the substrate 90, thereby polishing the substrate. During polishing, the holding table 3 rotates at a predetermined rotational speed, causing the substrate 90 held on the holding surface 302 to also rotate, allowing the polishing pad 464 to polish the entire back surface 903 of the substrate 90. Furthermore, polishing liquid, which is delivered from a polishing liquid supply source 467 and passes through a polishing liquid flow path (not shown), is supplied to the contact area between the polishing pad 464 and the substrate 90, thereby accelerating polishing. During polishing, the substrate 90 may be moved back and forth horizontally relative to the polishing unit 46. This may result in stripes being formed on the back surface 903 of the substrate 90 during polishing, which may reduce the flexural strength of the substrate 90. Therefore, for example, the polishing pad 464 may be configured to slide horizontally relative to the back surface 903 of the substrate 90 during polishing to prevent a reduction in the flexural strength of the substrate 90.

[0112] (3) Transcription step In this embodiment, for example, the transfer step is performed in parallel with the processing step described above, and the transfer step is completed together with the processing step. The transfer step performed in parallel with the processing step is performed in substantially the same manner as the transfer step described for the cutting device 1 shown in FIG. 3, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0113] After the processing step is completed, the suction force generated by the suction source 39 is no longer transmitted to the holding surface 302, and the suction holding of the substrate 90 and the support member 91 by the holding surface 302 of the holding table 3 is released. This completes the transfer step for one frame unit 9. Thereafter, an operator or the like can check whether or not the mark 913 transferred to the support member 91 is present, thereby determining whether or not the substrate 90 of that frame unit 9 has been polished.

[0114] 17 shows a spinner cleaning apparatus 5, which is an example of a substrate processing apparatus. The spinner cleaning apparatus 5 is, for example, a single-wafer cleaning apparatus that supplies cleaning water to the frame unit 9 held on the holding table 3 of the first embodiment to clean the substrate 90. The spinner cleaning apparatus 5 may be incorporated into a processing apparatus such as a grinding apparatus or a cutting apparatus, or may be used independently. The spinner cleaning device 5 includes, for example, the holding table 3 of embodiment 1, a table rotation unit 52 that rotates the holding table 3, a cylindrical cover 53 with a bottom and a circular opening on the upper end side, and a cleaning water nozzle 55 that supplies cleaning water to the substrate 90.

[0115] Clamp 305 disposed around frame 301 is, for example, a pendulum-type fixed clamp, and is configured so that when holding table 3 starts to rotate, the weight receives centrifugal force and the clamp plate clamps frame 92. Clamp 305 may also be a spring-type mechanical clamp.

[0116] The table rotation unit 52 disposed below the holding table 3 includes at least a spindle 520, the upper end of which is fixed to the underside of the holding table 3 and rotatable about a vertical axis (Z-axis direction), and a rotation drive source 521, such as a motor, connected to the lower end of the spindle 520. When the rotation drive source 521 rotates the spindle 520, the holding table 3 fixed to the spindle 520 also rotates. The table rotation unit 52 and the holding table 3 can be moved up and down in the Z-axis direction by an elevating unit (not shown) such as an air cylinder. The elevating unit (not shown) raises the holding table 3 to position it at the loading / unloading height of the frame unit 9, and lowers the holding table 3 while holding the frame unit 9, to position it at the cleaning height within the cover 53.

[0117] The holding table 3 is housed in the internal space of a cover 53 that surrounds the outer periphery of the holding table 3. The cover 53 is composed of an outer plate 530 that surrounds the holding table 3, a bottom plate 531 that is integrally connected to the lower part of the outer plate 530 and has an opening in the center through which the spindle 520 is inserted, and an inner plate 532 that stands upright from the inner peripheral edge of the opening of the bottom plate 531. A drain port (not shown) is formed through the bottom plate 531 in the thickness direction (Z-axis direction), and a drain hose or the like is connected to the drain port (not shown) that discharges cleaning water containing dirt that has flowed down from above the holding surface 302 of the holding table 3 into the cover 53 to the outside of the cover 53.

[0118] A skirt cover 534, which is circular in plan view and fitted onto the spindle 520, is disposed between the underside of the holding table 3 and the upper end surface of the inner plate 532 of the cover 53. When the holding table 3 is positioned at the cleaning height within the cover 53, a skirt portion hanging down in the -Z direction from the outer periphery of the skirt cover 534 surrounds the outer periphery of the inner plate 532. The skirt cover 534 prevents cleaning water containing dirt flowing down from above the holding surface 302 of the holding table 3 from entering the gap between the spindle 520 and the opening of the bottom plate 531.

[0119] Within the cover 53 are disposed a cleaning water nozzle 55, which is a processing unit that sprays cleaning water onto the upper surface (surface 900 in FIG. 17 ) of the substrate 90 held by suction on the holding surface 302, and an air nozzle 56 that sprays air onto the surface 900 of the substrate 90 held by suction on the holding surface 302. The cleaning water nozzle 55 and the air nozzle 56 are erected, for example, from the bottom plate 531 of the cover 53, and have a generally inverted L-shaped exterior when viewed from the side, with nozzles formed at their tips facing the holding surface 302 of the holding table 3. Both nozzles are rotatable by a rotation motor 551 and a rotation motor 563 about a rotation axis in the Z-axis direction, respectively, so that their nozzles can be moved from above the holding table 3 to a retracted position. The cleaning water nozzle 55 is connected to a cleaning water supply source 558, which is comprised of a pump or the like that can deliver cleaning water such as pure water. The air nozzle 56 is also connected to an air supply source 569 such as a compressor capable of delivering compressed air.

[0120] 17 will be described below. The operation of each part of the spinner cleaning apparatus 5 when cleaning the substrate 90 shown in FIG. 17 using the spinner cleaning apparatus 5 will also be described. A substrate processing method according to the present invention using the spinner cleaning apparatus 5 will also be described.

[0121] (1) Holding step The first holding step is performed in substantially the same manner as the holding step described for the cutting device 1 shown in Fig. 3, and therefore will not be described here. The frame unit 9 held by suction on the holding table 3 is in a state where the surface 900 of the substrate 90 is exposed on the upper side.

[0122] (2) Processing steps Next, a processing step is performed in which the frame unit 9 held by the holding table 3 is cleaned by a processing unit, namely, a cleaning water nozzle 55. In the processing step, the holding table 3, which holds the frame unit 9 by suction, is lowered to a cleaning operation height within the cover 53 by a lifting unit (not shown).

[0123] Next, the cleaning water nozzle 55 pivots, and the nozzle of the cleaning water nozzle 55 is positioned above the center of the surface 900 of the substrate 90 held by suction on the holding table 3. Then, cleaning water (e.g., pure water) is sprayed from the nozzle of the cleaning water nozzle 55 toward the center of the surface 900 of the substrate 90. Furthermore, the cleaning water nozzle 55 that sprays the cleaning water pivots so as to move back and forth at a predetermined angle around the axis in the Z-axis direction from the center of the substrate 90 above the outer periphery. Furthermore, the table rotation unit 52 rotates the holding table 3 at a predetermined rotational speed, so that the cleaning water is sprayed from the cleaning water nozzle 55 onto the entire surface 900 of the substrate 90. Note that as the holding table 3 that holds the substrate 90 by suction rotates, the clamp 305 clamps and fixes the frame 92.

[0124] As a result, the substrate 90 is cleaned, and the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the holding table 3 causes the cleaning water to flow from the center toward the periphery over the surface 900 of the substrate 90, and then flow down from the holding table 3 to the bottom plate 531 of the cover 53. After the substrate 90 has been cleaned with the cleaning water for a predetermined time, the spraying of the cleaning water by the cleaning water nozzle 55 is stopped. Next, air is sprayed from the nozzle of the air nozzle 56 toward the center of the surface 900 of the substrate 90. Furthermore, the air nozzle 56 that sprays the air revolves around the axis in the Z-axis direction above the substrate 90, moving back and forth at a predetermined angle. As a result, the entire surface 900 of the substrate 90 is dried by the air blow.

[0125] (3) Transcription step In this embodiment, the suction path connected to the holding table 3 is only one system, the suction path 390, so the transfer step is carried out in parallel with the processing step described above, and is completed together with the processing step. The transfer step carried out in parallel with the processing step is carried out in substantially the same manner as the transfer step described for the cutting device 1 shown in FIG. 3, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0126] Then, the suction hold of the cleaned substrate 90 and the support member 91 by the holding surface 302 of the holding table 3 is released. Accordingly, the processing step for one frame unit 9 is completed, and the transfer step is also completed. Then, the mark 913 transferred to the support member 91 becomes a mark indicating that the substrate 90 of the frame unit 9 has been cleaned by the cleaning water nozzle 55, which is a processing unit. Thereafter, an operator or the like can check whether or not the mark 913 transferred by the transfer part 308 is present on the support member 91 of the frame unit 9, thereby determining whether or not the cleaning process for the target substrate 90 has been completed.

[0127] The substrate processing apparatus 7 (hereinafter referred to as ultraviolet irradiation apparatus 7) shown in FIG. 18 is an apparatus that irradiates ultraviolet rays from an ultraviolet irradiation unit 70, which is a processing unit, onto a frame unit 9 held by suction on a holding table 71, for example.

[0128] 18 includes, for example, a circular porous glass plate 711 and a frame 712 that supports the porous glass plate 711. The entire porous glass plate 711 is connected to a suction source 719 such as an ejector mechanism or a vacuum generator, and the suction force generated by the suction source 719 is transmitted to a holding surface 713, which is the substantially flat upper surface of the porous glass plate 711, thereby allowing the holding table 71 to suction-hold the substrate 90 on the holding surface 713 via the support members 91.

[0129] A holding surface 713, which is the upper surface of the porous glass plate 711, has a flat substrate holding area 714 that holds the substrate 90, and a support member holding area 715 that holds the support member 91 exposed between the substrate 90 and the frame 92, and the support member holding area 715 includes, for example, a concave transfer portion 716. For example, a clamp (not shown) is disposed around the periphery of the frame body 712, which can clamp and fix the frame 92 of the frame unit 9.

[0130] The ultraviolet irradiation unit 70, which irradiates the support member 91 with ultraviolet light by transmitting it through the porous glass plate 711, is arranged, for example, in the hollow portion inside the frame body 712, and is composed of multiple LED lights or the like that can irradiate ultraviolet light of a predetermined wavelength upward.

[0131] The following describes the operation of each part of the ultraviolet irradiation device 7 when the frame unit 9 shown in Fig. 18 is subjected to ultraviolet treatment by the ultraviolet irradiation device 7. Also described is a substrate treatment method according to the present invention using the ultraviolet irradiation device 7. For example, the target to be treated with ultraviolet light by the ultraviolet irradiation device 7 is a frame unit 9 including a substrate 90 that has been cut by the cutting device 1 shown in Fig. 3, and the support member 91 is of a type in which the adhesive layer hardens due to ultraviolet light, reducing its adhesive strength.

[0132] (1) Holding step First, the substrate 90, which is a frame unit 9, is placed on the holding surface 713 of the holding table 71 with the surface 900 facing upward, and the suction force generated by the suction source 719 is transmitted to the holding surface 713, causing the holding table 71 to suction-hold the substrate 90 in the substrate holding area 714 and also to suction-hold the support member 91 in the support member holding area 715.

[0133] (2) Processing steps Next, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 70 irradiates ultraviolet light through the porous glass plate 711 toward the support member 91. As a result, the adhesive layer of the support member 91 hardens and its adhesive strength decreases. Therefore, for example, when the frame unit 9 is transported from the ultraviolet irradiation device 7 to a pickup device (not shown), the frame 92 is fixed with a clamp (not shown) or the like, and a chip including a device 902 (see FIG. 1) is pushed up from below through the support member 91 with, for example, a liftable needle, and the chip is picked up by being sucked and held by a suction pad when it floats up from the support member 91, the reduced adhesive strength of the support member 91 enables efficient pickup.

[0134] (3) Transcription step In this embodiment, for example, the transfer step is performed in parallel with the processing step described above, and the transfer step is completed together with the processing step. That is, in the holding step, the suction force generated by the suction source 39 is already transmitted to the holding surface 713, and the holding table 3 suction-holds the substrate 90 in the substrate holding area 714 and the support member 91 in the support member holding area 715. In addition, in this embodiment, since the transfer portion 716 is a recess that is circular in plan view, the support member 91 is drawn into the transfer portion 716 to which the suction force is transmitted. Then, the mark 913 transferred by the transfer portion 716 to the portion of the support member 91 between the substrate 90 and the frame 92 becomes a circle in plan view.

[0135] After the irradiation of ultraviolet light onto the support member 91 has stopped, the suction holding of the substrate 90 and the support member 91 by the holding surface 713 of the holding table 71 is released. This completes the transfer step for one frame unit 9. Thereafter, an operator or the like can check whether or not the mark 913 has been transferred onto the support member 91, thereby determining whether or not the support member 91 of that frame unit 9 has been irradiated with ultraviolet light.

[0136] The ultraviolet irradiation unit may be disposed above the holding table 71. For example, the frame unit 9 before being cut by the cutting device 1 shown in FIG. 3 may be held by suction on the holding table 71 to perform the holding step, and then, as a processing step, the ultraviolet irradiation unit may irradiate ultraviolet light onto the surface 900 of the substrate 90 and the support member 91. This increases the hydrophilicity of the substrate 90 and the support member 91, making it easier for cutting water to flow away together with the cutting chips generated during cutting using the cutting device 1 and to be easily removed from the substrate 90 and the support member 91, thereby reducing the amount of cutting chips adhering to the substrate 90 and the support member 91 after cutting. In this case, the support member 91 is assumed to be of a type whose adhesive strength is not reduced by ultraviolet irradiation.

[0137] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the steps of the substrate processing method according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described aspects, but can be modified as appropriate within the scope in which the effects of the present invention can be achieved.

[0138] For example, the method of checking the mark 913 (see Figure 11) transferred to the support member 91 by the transfer unit 308 shown in Figure 8 is not limited to visual inspection by an operator, but may also involve detection by imaging the support member 91 and image processing, or detection of the concave or convex mark 913 on the support member 91 using an optical sensor.

[0139] In addition, the method may include a transport step in which, after the transfer step is performed, the frame unit 9 is transported to the substrate processing apparatus for the next process, and a detection step in which, before a new processing step is performed in the substrate processing apparatus to which the frame unit 9 has been transported, the transfer unit detects the mark transferred to the support member 91 by imaging and image processing of the support member 91, or detects a concave or convex mark on the support member 91 using an optical sensor, and the processing step is performed in the substrate processing apparatus to which the frame unit 9 has been transported only if a mark is detected on the support member 91 in the detection step.

[0140] 8 may have two types of transfer units, such as a normal transfer unit that performs transfer when the determination unit 193 determines that the processing of the substrate 90 of the frame unit 9 by the processing unit has been completed normally, and an abnormal transfer unit that performs transfer when the determination unit 193 determines that the processing of the substrate 90 of the frame unit 9 by the processing unit has not been completed normally, and the command unit 194 may control the transfer unit to perform transfer in accordance with the two types of determination by the determination unit 193. In this case, the normal transfer unit and the abnormal transfer unit may be, for example, concave and convex, and each may be separated from the other areas of the support member holding area 307 of the holding table 35 by a partition wall, and each may have separate suction paths and on-off valves that open and close the respective suction paths, and the control unit 19 may control the on-off valves to perform suction independently. This makes it possible to check whether the concave or convex shape transferred onto the frame unit 9 has been carried out, and also to determine whether the processing step has been carried out normally or whether it has been carried out abnormally.

[0141] 8, four transfer units 308 may be arranged at 90-degree intervals in the circumferential direction in the support member holding area 307 of the holding table 35, and when it is determined that the processing step has been performed normally, only the normal transfer unit, consisting of, for example, two transfer units 308 spaced 180 degrees apart in the horizontal plane, may suck and hold the support member 91 in the support member holding area 307, thereby forming a mark that the processing has been performed normally by transfer.Also, when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the processing step, only the abnormal transfer unit, consisting of, for example, two transfer units 308 spaced 90 degrees apart in the horizontal plane, may suck and hold the support member 91 in the support member holding area 307, thereby forming a mark that the processing has not been performed normally by transfer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 1: Cutting device (substrate processing device) 10: Base 100: Gate-type column 11: Cutting feed mechanism 12: Indexing feed mechanism 13: Cutting feed mechanism 14: Transcriptional promotion unit 140: Arm lifting mechanism 141: Arm section 145: Hot air injection nozzle 146: Air supply source 148: Fluid injection nozzle 149: Internal heater 15: Table rotation mechanism 16: Cutting unit (processing unit) 163: Cutting blade 164: Cutting water nozzle 17: Alignment unit 19: Control unit 193: Determination unit 194: Command unit 3: Holding table of embodiment 1 30:Porous material 301: Frame 302: Holding surface 303: Suction groove 305: Clamp 306: Substrate holding area 307: Support member holding area 308: Transfer section 33: Table base 39: Suction source 390: Suction path 391: Suction piping 393: Solenoid valve 2: Laser processing device (substrate processing device) 20: Base 203: Column 21: X-axis moving unit 22: Y-axis moving unit 23: Table rotation mechanism 24: Laser irradiation unit (processing unit) 240: Casing 241: Irradiation head 242: Alignment unit 35: Holding table of embodiment 2 351: First partition wall 354: Second suction path 356: Second suction pipe 357: Second solenoid valve 36: Holding table of embodiment 3; 362: Second partition wall; 363: Third suction path 364: Fourth suction channel 40: Grinding device (substrate processing device) 42: Grinding unit (processing unit) 420: Spindle 424: Grinding wheel 427: Grinding wheel 428: Grinding water supply source 45: Polishing equipment (substrate processing equipment) 46: Polishing unit (processing unit) 460: Spindle 464: Polishing pad 467: Polishing liquid supply source 5: Spinner cleaning device 52: Table rotation unit 520: Spindle 521: Rotation drive source 53: Cover 530: Outer plate 531: Bottom plate 532: Inner plate 534: Skirt cover 55: Cleaning water nozzle 558: Cleaning water supply source 56: Air nozzle 569: Air supply source 6: Inspection equipment (substrate processing equipment) 60: Base 603: Column 61: X-axis movement mechanism 62: Y-axis movement mechanism 64: Camera (processing unit) 65: Monitor 7: Ultraviolet irradiation equipment (substrate processing equipment) 70: UV irradiation unit 71: Holding table 711: Porous glass plate 712: Frame 713: Holding surface 714: Substrate holding area 715: Support member holding area 719: Suction source 9: Frame unit 90: Substrate 900: Surface of substrate 901: Dividing line 902: Device 903: Back surface of substrate 91: Support member 913: Mark 92: Frame 99: Frame unit 98: TAIKO board 904: Support ring

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a frame unit in which a substrate is supported by a support member in an opening of a frame, a holding table having a holding surface that holds the substrate and at least a part of the support member, and a processing unit that processes the frame unit held on the holding table, The holding surface is a substrate holding area for holding the substrate; a support member holding area that holds the support member exposed between the substrate and the frame, the support member holding area includes a transfer portion on which at least one of a recessed portion and a protruding portion is formed, The support member is sucked and held in the support member holding area, whereby the transfer portion is transferred onto the support member, thereby marking that processing by the processing unit has been performed.

2. The holding table is a first partition wall that separates the substrate holding area from the support member holding area; the substrate holding area is connected to a suction source via a first suction path; 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member holding area is connected to the suction source through a second suction path.

3. the holding table has a second partition wall that separates the transfer unit from other areas of the support member holding area, the substrate holding area and the other area of ​​the support member holding area excluding the transfer unit are connected to a suction source via a third suction path; 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer section is connected to the suction source through a fourth suction path.

4. a determination unit that determines whether the processing by the processing unit has been performed normally; the transfer section includes a normal transfer section onto which transfer is performed when the determination section determines that the processing by the processing unit has been performed normally, and an abnormal transfer section onto which transfer is performed when the determination section determines that the processing by the processing unit has not been performed normally, 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member is sucked and held at either the normal transfer section or the abnormal transfer section based on the determination by the determination section.

5. A substrate processing method for processing a frame unit in which a substrate is supported in an opening of a frame via a support member, comprising: a holding surface of a holding table that holds the frame unit has a substrate holding area that holds the substrate, and a support member holding area that holds the support member exposed between the substrate and the frame; the support member holding area includes a transfer portion on which at least one of a recessed portion and a protruding portion is formed, a holding step of holding the frame unit on the holding surface of the holding table; a processing step of processing the frame unit held on the holding table by a processing unit; a transfer step of suction-holding the support member in the support member holding area including at least the transfer portion, thereby transferring the shape of the transfer portion between the substrate and the frame on the support member, thereby marking that the processing step has been performed.

6. 6. The substrate processing method according to claim 5, wherein the transferring step is performed after the processing step is performed.

7. further comprising a determination step of determining whether the processing step has been performed normally; 6. The substrate processing method according to claim 5, wherein the transfer step is performed when it is determined in the determination step that the processing step has been performed normally.

8. further comprising a determination step of determining whether the processing step has been performed normally; the transfer portion includes a normal transfer portion that is transferred when the processing step is normally performed, and an abnormal transfer portion that is transferred when the processing step is not normally performed, The transfer step comprises: If it is determined in the determining step that the processing step has been performed normally, the support member is sucked and held by the normal transfer portion, and the normal transfer portion is transferred to the support member; 6. The substrate processing method according to claim 5, wherein if it is determined in the judgment step that an abnormality has occurred in the processing step, the support member is sucked and held by the abnormal transfer portion, and the abnormal transfer portion is transferred to the support member.

Images