Processing method for plate-shaped materials

Abstract

To provide a processing method for a plate-shaped object with high productivity without requiring maintenance of a frame that supports the plate-shaped object that serves as a workpiece.SOLUTION: A processing method for a plate-shaped object includes a plate-shaped object support step for disposing a plate-shaped object on a thermal-compression bonding sheet having an area larger than the plate-shaped object, heating the thermo-compression bonding sheet and compressing it to the plate-shaped object, and supporting the plate-shaped object only by the thermo-compression bonding sheet, a processing step for making the plate-shaped object to be divided into a plurality of chips, and a pick-up step for picking up the chips from the thermo-compression bonding sheet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for processing a plate-like object.

Background Art

[0002] A wafer on which devices such as ICs and LSIs are formed on a surface partitioned by a dicing line is divided into individual device chips by a dicing device or a laser processing device and used in electrical devices such as mobile phones and personal computers.

[0003] After the above-described wafer is divided into individual device chips, in order to perform a pickup process while maintaining the form of the wafer, conventionally, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a wafer 10 supported via an adhesive tape T on an annular frame F having an opening Fa for accommodating the wafer 10 at the center is transported to a dicing device or a laser processing device for processing (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). Note that the wafer 10 shown in FIG. 7 is a circular plate-like object formed on a surface 10a on which devices 12 are partitioned by a dicing line 14, and the frame F is formed with cutouts Fb and Fc for distinguishing the front and back of the frame F and defining the direction when supporting the wafer 10.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, in the processing apparatus described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 mentioned above, the frame F that supports the wafer 10 is reused as described above. Therefore, after processing the wafer 10 supported by the frame F, the adhesive tape T is removed from the frame F, the frame F is collected, washed to remove any attached processing debris and adhesive, and then stored in a designated place for maintenance until it is used for the next processing. However, this maintenance is time-consuming, which results in poor productivity.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above facts, and its main technical problem is to provide a method for processing plate-like materials that does not require maintenance of the frame supporting the plate-like material as a workpiece, and that offers high productivity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned main technical problems, the present invention provides a method for processing a plate-shaped object, comprising: a plate-shaped object support step of placing the plate-shaped object on a heat-sealable sheet having a larger area than the plate-shaped object, heating the heat-sealable sheet and pressing it onto the plate-shaped object, and supporting the plate-shaped object solely with the heat-sealable sheet; a processing step of dividing the plate-shaped object into a plurality of chips; and a pickup step of picking up the chips from the heat-sealable sheet. along , The process includes clamping the outer periphery of the heat-seal sheet and expanding the heat-seal sheet to widen the gap between the chips, The processing step is, The outer circumference of the heat-sealable sheet is held by a clamp, This is carried out by holding a plate-shaped object supported solely by the heat-sealing sheet. The heat-sealable sheet has a pair of parallel, straight edges that are opposite each other with respect to the center. A method for processing plate-like materials is provided.

[0008] The P Preferably, the process includes a disposal step for discarding the heat-sealed sheet after the pickup step.

[0009] The processing step is preferably selected from one of the following: cutting, in which a cutting blade is positioned in the region of the plate-shaped material to be divided and cutting is performed; ablation, in which a laser beam of a wavelength absorbed by the plate-shaped material is irradiated into the region of the plate-shaped material to be divided to form grooves by ablation processing; or a modified layer formation step, in which a focal point of a laser beam of a wavelength transmitted by the plate-shaped material is positioned inside the region of the plate-shaped material to be divided and irradiated to form a modified layer.

[0010] The plate-like object is a wafer having a surface partitioned by lines indicating a division of multiple devices, and it is preferable that the front or back surface of the wafer is disposed on a thermocompression sheet. Furthermore, it is preferable that the thermocompression sheet is either a polyolefin sheet or a polyester sheet. The polyolefin sheet can be selected from any of polyethylene sheets, polypropylene sheets, or polystyrene sheets. When a polyethylene sheet is selected as the thermocompression sheet, the heating temperature in the plate-like object support process is preferably 120°C to 140°C, when a polypropylene sheet is selected, the heating temperature is preferably 160°C to 180°C, and when a polystyrene sheet is selected, the heating temperature is preferably 220°C to 240°C.

[0011] The polyester sheet can be selected from either a polyethylene terephthalate sheet or a polyethylene naphthalate sheet. When a polyethylene terephthalate sheet is selected as the heat-sealable sheet, the heating temperature in the plate-shaped object support process is preferably 250°C to 270°C, and when a polyethylene naphthalate sheet is selected, the heating temperature is preferably 160°C to 180°C. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The method for processing a plate-like object of the present invention includes: disposing the plate-like object on a thermocompression bonding sheet having an area larger than that of the plate-like object, heating the thermocompression bonding sheet to bond it to the plate-like object, and a plate-like object support step of supporting the plate-like object only by the thermocompression bonding sheet; a processing step of performing processing for dividing the plate-like object into a plurality of chips; and a pickup step of picking up the chips from the thermocompression bonding sheet. along , The process includes clamping the outer periphery of the heat-seal sheet and expanding the heat-seal sheet to widen the gap between the chips, The processing step The outer circumference of the heat-sealable sheet is held by a clamp, is carried out while holding the plate-like object supported only by the thermocompression bonding sheet The heat-sealable sheet has a pair of parallel, straight edges that are opposite each other with respect to the center. By doing so, the conventionally used frame becomes unnecessary, the maintenance labor for reusing the frame is not required, and the productivity is improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view of a dicing apparatus applied to the method for processing a plate-like object of the present embodiment. [Figure 2] (a) to (d) are perspective views showing embodiments and modified examples of the thermocompression bonding sheet of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a perspective view showing a mode of disposing a thermocompression bonding sheet on a wafer in the plate-like object support step. [Figure 4] It is a perspective view showing a mode of bonding a thermocompression bonding sheet to a wafer by a thermocompression roller in the plate-like object support step. [Figure 5] It is a perspective view showing an implementation mode of cutting processing performed as a processing step. [Figure 6] (a) is a perspective view showing an implementation mode of an expansion step, (b) is a perspective view showing an implementation mode of a pickup step. [Figure 7] It is a perspective view showing a mode in which a wafer is supported by an annular frame via an adhesive tape in the prior art.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of a method for processing a plate-like object configured based on the present invention will be described in detail while referring to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] FIG. 1 shows an overall perspective view of a dicing apparatus 1 suitable for the method for processing a plate-like object of the present embodiment. The dicing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for cutting a circular wafer 10 which is a plate-like object. The wafer 10 is the same wafer as the wafer 10 described based on FIG. 7, and is a semiconductor wafer made of, for example, silicon (Si) formed on a surface 10a partitioned by a plurality of dividing lines 14 for division.

[0016] The dicing apparatus 1 includes an apparatus housing 2. The wafer 10 which is the workpiece of the present embodiment is pressure-bonded to a thermocompression bonding sheet S by performing a plate-like object support step to be described in detail later, and is supported only by the thermocompression bonding sheet S. A plurality of the wafers 10 are accommodated in a cassette 3 (shown by a two-dot chain line) carried into the apparatus housing 2. The wafer 10 accommodated in the cassette 3 is sandwiched by the thermocompression bonding sheet S by the loading / unloading means 4, and is transported onto a temporary table 5 by the loading / unloading means 4 moving in the Y-axis direction.

[0017] The wafer 10 transported onto the temporary table 5 is adsorbed by a transport means 6, and is transported to a chuck table 7 positioned in a loading / unloading area for loading and unloading the wafer 10 by the turning operation of the transport means 6, and is placed and sucked and held on a suction chuck 7a of the chuck table 7. On the outer periphery of the chuck table 7, four clamps 7b for sandwiching and fixing the thermocompression bonding sheet S supporting the wafer 10 are arranged at equal intervals.

[0018] Alignment means 8 and cutting means 9 are arranged in the direction of movement of the chuck table 7 in the X-axis direction. Inside the device housing 2 are an X-axis moving means (not shown) for feeding the chuck table 7 in the X-axis direction, a Y-axis moving means (not shown) for indexing and feeding the cutting blade 9a of the cutting means 9 in the Y-axis direction, and a Z-axis moving means (not shown) for raising and lowering the cutting blade 9a to cut it out. The wafer 10 held by the chuck table 7 is moved in the X-axis direction by the X-axis moving means, and the wafer 10 is imaged by the alignment means 8 which has a camera function, thereby detecting the area of ​​the wafer 10 to be cut. Cutting by the cutting means 9 in this embodiment is carried out as follows.

[0019] The alignment means 8 detects the division line 14 as the area to be machined, aligns the division line 14 in the X-axis direction, aligns the division line 14 with the cutting blade 9a of the cutting means 9, moves the chuck table 7 in the X-axis direction so that the division line 14 is positioned in the machining area directly below the cutting blade 9a of the cutting means 9. Next, the cutting blade 9a is rotated and lowered by the Z-axis moving means to cut out, and the chuck table 7 is machined in the X-axis direction so that the division line 14 is cut and a cutting groove is formed in a straight line. Once the division line 14 has been cut in a straight line, the cutting blade 9a is raised and the Y-axis feed means is activated to index and feed by the distance to the adjacent division line 14 in the Y-axis direction, and the cutting blade 9a is cut out in the same manner as described above to cut the division line 14. By repeating this process, all division lines 14 along the predetermined direction are cut. Next, the chuck table 7 is rotated 90 degrees to align the unprocessed division lines 14 perpendicular to the cutting grooves formed by the aforementioned cutting process in the X-axis direction. Then, by performing the same cutting process as described above, cutting grooves are formed on all division lines 14 of the wafer 10. As a result, the wafer 10 is divided into individual device chips and the cutting process is completed. At this time, since the individual device chips remain supported by the thermocompression sheet S, the overall shape of the wafer 10 is maintained. Each of the above-described operating parts of the dicing apparatus 1 is controlled by control means not shown in the illustration.

[0020] The wafer 10, having undergone the above-described cutting process and divided into individual device chips, is moved from the processing area to the loading / unloading area by the chuck table 7, and then sucked up by the transport means 11 and transported to the cleaning device 12 (details of which are not shown). After being cleaned and dried by the cleaning device 12, the wafer 10 is transported by the transport means 6 to the temporary storage table 5 and returned to the required position in the cassette 3 by the loading / unloading means 4. The cassette 3 can be raised and lowered as needed by the vertically movable table 3a to accommodate the wafer 10 in the desired position.

[0021] The dicing apparatus 1 of this embodiment has a configuration that is generally as described above, and the method for processing plate-shaped materials of this embodiment is carried out as follows.

[0022] When carrying out the plate-shaped material processing method of this embodiment, the thermocompression sheet S is to be, for example, a first thermocompression sheet S1 having a larger area than the wafer 10 as shown in Figures 2(a) to (d), or a second to fourth thermocompression sheet S2 to S4 which is a modified version thereof. The first to fourth thermocompression sheets S1 to S4 are thermocompression sheets that soften and exhibit adhesive strength when heated, and for example, sheets made of either a polyolefin sheet or a polyester sheet are used.

[0023] When a polyolefin sheet is selected as the heat-sealable sheet S, more specifically, it is preferable to select the heat-sealable sheet S from among polyethylene (PE) sheets, polypropylene (PP) sheets, and polystyrene (PS) sheets.

[0024] Furthermore, when a polyester sheet is selected as the heat-sealable sheet S, it is more preferably selected from either a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheet or a polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) sheet.

[0025] The first thermocompression sheet S1 shown in Figure 2(a) is a regular octagon, the second thermocompression sheet S2 shown in Figure 2(b) is a square, the third thermocompression sheet S3 shown in Figure 2(c) is a circular sheet, and the fourth thermocompression sheet S4 shown in Figure 2(d) is a sheet with a shape that mimics the outer shape of the conventionally used frame F shown in Figure 7. The fourth thermocompression sheet S4 also has notches S4b and S4c formed thereon, which mimic the notches Fb and Fc formed in the frame F in Figure 7. The first to third thermocompression sheets S1 to S3 shown in Figures 2(a) to 2(c) do not have such notches formed thereon, but similar notches may be formed thereon as well. The heat-sealable sheets used in this invention are not limited to the shapes of the first to fourth heat-sealable sheets S1 to S4 shown in Figures 2(a) to (d) above, but may be any shape as long as they have a larger area than the wafer 10 and are held by the chuck table 7. In the following description, the heat-sealable sheet S of this embodiment will be the first heat-sealable sheet S1 shown in Figure 2(a), made of polyethylene, and will be used to support and process the wafer 10 described in Figure 7.

[0026] When carrying out the processing method of this embodiment, once the wafer 10 and the first thermocompression sheet S1 are prepared, in order to position the wafer 10 on the surface S1a of the first thermocompression sheet S1, which will be the upper surface during processing, the surface S1a of the first thermocompression sheet S1 is oriented toward the back surface 10b of the wafer 10, and the wafer 10 is positioned and placed in the center of the first thermocompression sheet S1, as shown in Figure 3. Next, in order to press the surface S1a of the first thermocompression sheet S1 against the back surface 10b of the wafer 10, a thermocompression roller 20 equipped with a heating means inside and a temperature control means for controlling the surface to a predetermined heating temperature is positioned above the wafer 10, as shown in Figure 4. In this embodiment, since a polyethylene sheet is used as the first thermocompression sheet S1, the surface temperature of the thermocompression roller 20 is controlled to be 120°C to 140°C, which is close to the melting temperature of the polyethylene sheet. Furthermore, a layer of fluororesin is formed on the surface of the heat-press roller 20 so that the first heat-press sheet S1 does not stick to it even when it exerts adhesive force. The surface of the heat-press roller 20 is raised to the heating temperature described above, and the heat-press roller 20 is rotated in the direction indicated by arrow R1 and moved in the direction indicated by arrow R2 to press the first heat-press sheet S1 onto the entire back surface 10b of the wafer 10 and integrate them (plate-shaped object support process). In the lower part of Figure 4, the state after the plate-shaped object support process has been performed is shown, in which the first heat-press sheet S1 has been inverted and placed on a table (not shown), with the surface 10a of the wafer 10 exposed upwards. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and as shown in the lower right of Figure 3, the surface 10a of the wafer 10 may be positioned facing the surface S1a of the first heat-press sheet S1, and the surface S1a of the first heat-press sheet S1 may be pressed onto the surface 10a of the wafer 10 to integrate them.

[0027] As described above, after performing the plate-shaped object support process, the temperature of the first thermocompression sheet S1 decreases, causing the first thermocompression sheet S1 to harden, resulting in a state where the wafer 10 is supported solely by the hardened first thermocompression sheet S1. By forming an integrated object in which the wafer 10 is supported solely by the first thermocompression sheet S1 through the plate-shaped object support process, the integrated object acquires a predetermined rigidity, which is such that when the first thermocompression sheet S1 is supported at two points on its outer peripheral edge, the first thermocompression sheet S1 is maintained in a flat state.

[0028] As described above, the plate-shaped object support process is carried out, and the multiple wafers 10 supported on the first thermocompression sheet S1 are transported to the dicing apparatus 1 in a state where they are housed in the cassette 3 shown in Figure 1.

[0029] In carrying out the above cutting process as a processing step of the present invention, the wafer 10 loaded into the dicing apparatus 1 is loaded out of the cassette 3 by the loading / unloading means 4 and temporarily placed on the temporary storage table 5. Next, the wafer 10 is transported by the transport means 6 to the suction chuck 7a of the chuck table 7 located in the loading / unloading area shown in Figure 1, and is held by suction, and the outer edge of the first thermocompression sheet S1 is fixed by the clamp 7b. The wafer 10 held on the chuck table 7 is moved by the X-axis moving means to be positioned directly below the alignment means 8, and the alignment means 8 detects a predetermined division line 14 as the area to be processed, aligns the division line 14 in the X-axis direction, and positions the wafer 10 directly below the cutting means 9, as shown in Figure 5.

[0030] The cutting means 9 includes a rotating shaft 9b arranged and held in the Y-axis direction in the figure, and an annular cutting blade 9a held at the tip of the rotating shaft 9b. The cutting blade 9a is moved by a Y-axis moving means that indexes and feeds in the Y-axis direction as described above. The rotating shaft 9b is rotationally driven by a spindle motor (not shown).

[0031] Once the wafer 10 is positioned directly beneath the cutting means 9, the cutting blade 9a, rotated at high speed in the direction indicated by arrow R3, is positioned along the division line 14 aligned in the X-axis direction, and a cut is made from the surface 10a side. At the same time, the chuck table is fed in the X-axis direction to form a cutting groove 100 as shown in the figure. By performing the above cutting process, cutting grooves 100 are formed along all the division lines 14 formed on the wafer 10, as shown in the lower part of Figure 5. By performing the cutting process in this way, the wafer 10 is divided into individual device chips 12' along the division lines 14, and the division process is completed.

[0032] As described above, even if the wafer 10 is divided into individual device chips 12' by the cutting process, each individual device chip 12' remains supported by the first thermocompression sheet S1, and therefore the overall shape of the wafer 10 is well maintained.

[0033] Once the cutting process has been performed as described above, the expansion process and pickup process described below are carried out to pick up the device chip 12' from the first thermocompression sheet S1. The expansion process and pickup process can be carried out, for example, using the pickup device 40 shown in Figure 6. The pickup device 40 is equipped with an expansion means 42 that performs an expansion process to expand the first thermocompression sheet S1 and expand the spacing between adjacent device chips 12'.

[0034] As shown in Figure 6(a), the expansion means 42 includes a cylindrical expansion drum 42a, a plurality of air cylinders 42b adjacent to the expansion drum 42a and extending upward at circumferential intervals, an annular holding member 42c connected to the upper end of each air cylinder 42b, and a plurality of clamps 42d arranged at circumferential intervals on the outer peripheral edge of the holding member 42c. Note that in Figure 6, for explanatory purposes, a part of the configuration is shown in cross-section. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the expansion drum 42a is set to be greater than or equal to the diameter of the wafer 10, and the outer diameter of the expansion drum 42a is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the first thermocompression sheet S1. The holding member 42c corresponds to the outer diameter dimension of the first thermocompression sheet S1, and the outer peripheral region of the first thermocompression sheet S1 is placed on the flat upper surface of the holding member 42c.

[0035] As shown in Figure 6(a), the multiple air cylinders 42b raise and lower the retaining member 42c relative to the expansion drum 42a between a reference position where the upper surface of the retaining member 42c is at approximately the same height as the upper end of the expansion drum 42a (shown by the solid line) and an expanded position where the upper surface of the retaining member 42c is below the upper end of the expansion drum 42a (shown by the dashed-dot line). Note that in Figure 6(a), for illustrative purposes, the expansion drum 42a is shown to be moving up and down, but in reality, it is the retaining member 42c that moves up and down.

[0036] In addition to the expansion means 42 described above, the pickup device 40 is equipped with a pickup means 44, as shown in Figure 6(b). The pickup means 44 includes a pickup collet 44a for attracting the device chip 12' and a push-up means 44b disposed inside the expansion drum 42a to push the device chip 12' upward. This push-up means 44b is configured to be movable horizontally (in the direction indicated by arrow R6) within the expansion drum 42a and is equipped with a push rod 44c that moves up and down (in the direction indicated by arrow R7).

[0037] The pickup collet 44a shown in Figure 6(b) is configured to be movable in the horizontal and vertical directions. A suction means (not shown) is connected to the pickup collet 44a and is configured to be able to attract in the direction indicated by arrow R9, and the device chip 12' is attracted by the lower surface of the suction part 44d located at the tip of the pickup collet 44a.

[0038] Returning to Figure 6(a) and continuing the explanation, in the expansion process, first, the wafer 10, which has been divided into individual device chips 12', is turned upwards, and the first thermocompression sheet S1 is placed on the upper surface of the holding member 42c positioned at the aforementioned reference position. Next, the outer peripheral region of the first thermocompression sheet S1 is fixed with a plurality of clamps 42d. Then, by lowering the holding member 42c in the direction of the expansion position indicated by arrow R4, a tensile force as indicated by arrow R5 is applied radially to the wafer 10 supported in the center of the first thermocompression sheet S1. At this time, a heating means (not shown) is applied to the first thermocompression sheet S1 to heat it to a temperature close to the melting temperature of the material selected as the first thermocompression sheet S1, thereby softening the first thermocompression sheet S1. As a result, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 6(a), the area in the first thermocompression sheet S1 in which the wafer 10 is supported is expanded, and the spacing between adjacent device chips 12' is effectively widened. In the above-described cutting process, if a sufficiently wide cutting groove 100 is formed along the planned division line 14, this expansion step can be omitted.

[0039] As described above, once the expansion process is performed, as shown in Figure 6(b), the suction portion 44d of the pickup collet 44a is positioned above the device chip 12' to be picked up, and the push-up means 44b is moved horizontally in the direction indicated by arrow R6 to be positioned below the device chip 12' to be picked up. Next, the push rod 44c of the push-up means 44b is extended in the direction indicated by arrow R7 to push up the target device chip 12' from below. In conjunction with this, the pickup collet 44a is lowered in the direction indicated by arrow R8, and the tip of the suction portion 44d of the pickup collet 72 adheres to the upper surface of the device chip 12'. Next, the pickup collet 44a is raised to peel the device chip 12' from the first thermocompression sheet S1 and pick it up. Next, the picked-up device chip 12' is transported to a container such as a tray (not shown) for storage, or transported to a predetermined position for the next process. This pickup operation is then performed sequentially for all the device chips 12' (pickup process).

[0040] Once the expansion and pickup processes described above have been carried out, the first thermocompression sheet S1 is disposed of in a designated waste container (disposal process). The first thermocompression sheet S1 is extremely inexpensive compared to the conventionally used frame F (see Figure 7), and since it is composed solely of the first thermocompression sheet S1 and has sufficient rigidity to hold the wafer 10, the frame F becomes unnecessary, eliminating the need for maintenance for reuse and improving productivity.

[0041] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in the above embodiment, the processing step for dividing the wafer 10 into a plurality of chips involved positioning the cutting blade 9a on the division line 14 of the wafer 10 and performing a cutting process to form a cutting groove 100 by cutting along the division line 14. However, instead of this, an ablation process may be performed in which a laser beam with a wavelength that is absorbed by the wafer 10 is irradiated onto the division line 14 of the wafer 10 to be divided, and a groove is formed along the division line 14 by ablation processing. Furthermore, instead of the above cutting process, a modified layer formation process may be performed in which a focal point of a laser beam with a wavelength that is transparent to the wafer 10 is positioned inside the region of the wafer 10 to be divided and irradiated to form a modified layer. Thus, when processing steps such as forming grooves by ablation along the planned division line 14 or forming a modified layer by a modified layer formation process, an external force is applied by the above-mentioned expansion step, which allows the wafer 10 to be divided into device chips 12' more reliably.

[0042] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment shows an example in which a polyethylene sheet is used as the heat-sealable sheet S, other polyolefin sheets or polyester sheets can also be used as the heat-sealable sheet S. Other polyolefin sheets can be either polypropylene sheets or polystyrene sheets, and polyester sheets can be either polyethylene terephthalate sheets or polyethylene naphthalate sheets.

[0043] When a polypropylene sheet is selected as the heat-sealable sheet S, the heating temperature in the plate-shaped object support process is preferably 160°C to 180°C, and when a polystyrene sheet is selected, the heating temperature is preferably 220°C to 240°C. Furthermore, when a polyethylene terephthalate sheet is selected as the heat-sealable sheet S, the heating temperature in the plate-shaped object support process is preferably 250°C to 270°C, and when a polyethylene naphthalate sheet is selected, the heating temperature is preferably 160°C to 180°C. In all cases, these temperatures are near the melting temperature of each material. By heating as described above, the heat-sealable sheet S softens, exhibits adhesive strength, and is successfully heat-sealed to the wafer 10. In addition, by using a heat-sealable sheet S to support the wafer 10, when the pickup process is performed and the device chip 12' is picked up from the heat-sealable sheet S, no problems such as adhesive residue remaining are prevented. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1: Dicing device 1 2: Device housing 3: Cassette 3a: Table 4: Carrying in / out means 5: Temporary placement table 6: Conveying means 7: Chuck Table 7a: Suction chuck 7b: Clamp 8: Alignment Methods 9:Cutting means 9a: Cutting blade 9b: Rotation axis 10: Wafer 10a: surface 10b: Back side 12: Devices 12': Device chip 14: Planned division line 20: Heat-press roller 40: Pickup device 42: Expansion means 42a: Expansion Drum 42b: Air Cylinder 42c: Retaining member 42d: Clamp 44: Pickup method 44a: Pickup Collet 44b: Pushing mechanism 44c: Pushrod 44d: Adsorption part 100: Cutting groove F: Frame Fa: Opening Fb, Fc: Notches S: Heat-pressed sheet S1: First heat-sealable sheet S1a: Surface S1b: Back side S2: Second heat-seal sheet S3: Third heat-sealable sheet S4: Fourth heat-sealable sheet

Claims

1. A method for processing plate-shaped materials, A plate-like object support step involves placing the plate-like object on a heat-sealable sheet having a larger surface area than the plate-like object, heating the heat-sealable sheet and pressing it onto the plate-like object, and supporting the plate-like object solely with the heat-sealable sheet. A processing step for dividing the plate-like material into multiple chips, A pickup step of picking up the chip from the heat-sealed sheet, It is equipped with, The process includes clamping the outer periphery of the heat-seal sheet and expanding the heat-seal sheet to widen the gap between the chips. The processing step is carried out by holding the outer circumference of the heat-seal sheet with a clamp and holding a plate-shaped object supported solely by the heat-seal sheet. The heat-sealable sheet is a method for processing a plate-like object having a pair of parallel, straight edges positioned opposite each other with respect to the center.

2. The method for processing a plate-shaped object according to claim 1, further comprising a disposal step of discarding the heat-sealed sheet after the pickup step.

3. The method for processing a plate-like object according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing step is a cutting process in which a cutting blade is positioned in a region of the plate-like object to be divided and cutting is performed.

4. The method for processing a plate-shaped object according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing step is an ablation process in which a laser beam with a wavelength that is absorbable to the plate-shaped object is irradiated onto a region of the plate-shaped object to be divided, thereby forming grooves by ablation processing.

5. The method for processing a plate-like object according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing step is a modified layer formation step in which a laser beam with a wavelength that is transparent to the plate-like object is positioned inside the region of the plate-like object to be divided and irradiated to form a modified layer.

6. The plate-like object is a wafer having a surface partitioned by lines on which a plurality of devices are to be divided, and the surface or back surface of the wafer is disposed on a thermocompression sheet, according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The method for processing a plate-like object according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the heat-sealable sheet is either a polyolefin-based sheet or a polyester-based sheet.

8. The method for processing a plate-like material according to claim 7, wherein the polyolefin sheet is one of a polyethylene sheet, a polypropylene sheet, or a polystyrene sheet.

9. The method for processing a plate-shaped object according to claim 8, wherein when a polyethylene sheet is selected as the heat-sealing sheet, the heating temperature in the plate-shaped object support step is 120°C to 140°C; when a polypropylene sheet is selected, the heating temperature is 160°C to 180°C; and when a polystyrene sheet is selected, the heating temperature is 220°C to 240°C.

10. The method for processing a plate-like material according to claim 7, wherein the polyester sheet is either a polyethylene terephthalate sheet or a polyethylene naphthalate sheet.

11. The method for processing a plate-shaped object according to claim 10, wherein when a polyethylene terephthalate sheet is selected as the heat-sealable sheet, the heating temperature in the plate-shaped object support step is 250°C to 270°C, and when a polyethylene naphthalate sheet is selected, the heating temperature is 160°C to 180°C.

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