Cutting device

Abstract

To easily check whether or not the length of an arm corresponds to a wafer.SOLUTION: Based on whether or not the tip of an arm 92 blocks out first light of a first sensor 120 and second light of a second sensor 130, it can be easily checked which one of a first wafer or a second wafer corresponds to the length of the arm 92 and whether or not the length of the arm 92 corresponds to a wafer to be processed. In addition, when the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to the wafer to be processed, a control section 20 notifies a worker that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to the wafer to be processed. Accordingly, even if a worker neglects to make adjustments of the arm 92 according to a change of the wafer to be processed, the worker can notice that the arm is to be adjusted, before a protective member is formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a protective member forming device that forms a protective member for protecting one surface of a wafer. In this protective member forming device, a sheet is placed on a table, a liquid resin is supplied onto the sheet, a wafer holding portion that holds a wafer above the table is lowered, the liquid resin is spread by the wafer, and then the liquid resin is cured.

[0003] Also, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, a sheet is cut into a circular shape according to the outer shape of a wafer, and a protective member including the sheet and resin is formed. In order to cut the sheet into a circular shape in this way, an arm having a blade at its tip is rotated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] A protective member forming device that cuts a sheet into a circular shape corresponds to, for example, an 8-inch wafer and a 12-inch wafer, and an operator adjusts the length of an arm according to the diameter of the wafer. That is, the operator changes the length of the variable-length arm or replaces the existing arm with an arm of an appropriate length.

[0006] However, sometimes the length of the cutting arm is forgotten, in which case the blade may cut into the wafer, causing damage to the wafer, or the sheet may be cut into a circle larger than the wafer.

[0007] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to easily determine which wafer corresponds to the length of the arm. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The first cutting apparatus of the present invention is a cutting apparatus for cutting a sheet attached to a workpiece having an area larger than the area of ​​one side of the wafer, in a circular shape along the outer circumference of the wafer, wherein the two wafers having at least two different diameters include a first wafer and a second wafer having a diameter larger than the diameter of the first wafer, and comprises a cutting stage on which the workpiece is placed with the sheet facing downwards, and the workpiece placed on the cutting stage is spaced apart vertically with a first gap so as to be detectable for the outer circumference of the first wafer. The cutting stage comprises a first sensor having a first light-emitting unit that emits a first light and a first light-receiving unit that receives the first light, a second sensor having a second light-emitting unit that emits a second light and a second light-receiving unit that receives the second light, which are arranged vertically spaced apart with a second gap so as to be able to detect the outer circumference of the second wafer of the workpiece placed on the cutting stage, a cutting mechanism for cutting the sheet into a circular shape, and a control unit, the cutting mechanism having a blade for cutting the sheet, an arm with the blade positioned at its tip and extending horizontally, and a rotation axis connected to the rear end of the arm and extending vertically. The cutting stage comprises a rotating shaft, a motor that rotates the rotating shaft to pivot the arm, and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the blade and the cutting stage so that they move closer together or further apart, wherein the first gap of the first sensor and the second gap of the second sensor are set to allow the pivoting arm to pass through, and the control unit determines that when the rotating shaft is rotating with no workpiece placed on the cutting stage, the pivoting arm blocks the first light of the first sensor, but does not block the second light of the second sensor, and the length of the arm is such that A first determination unit that determines that it corresponds to one wafer, and a second determination unit that determines that the length of the arm corresponds to the second wafer when the rotating shaft is being rotated with no workpiece placed on the cut stage and the rotating arm blocks the first light of the first sensor and also blocks the second light of the second sensor, and when the rotating shaft is being rotated with no workpiece placed on the cut stage and the rotating arm does not block the first light of the first sensor and also does not block the second light of the second sensor,It includes a third determination unit that determines that the length of the arm does not correspond to either the first wafer or the second wafer.

[0009] Furthermore, the first cutting device may be equipped with an extension / retraction mechanism for extending and retracting the arm, and the control unit may extend or retract the arm to a length corresponding to the radius of the circular wafer.

[0010] The second cutting apparatus of the present invention is a cutting apparatus for cutting a sheet attached to a workpiece having a sheet with an area larger than the area of ​​one side of the wafer attached to one of two types of wafers with at least different diameters in a circular shape along the outer circumference of the wafer, wherein the two types of wafers with at least different diameters include a first wafer and a second wafer having a diameter larger than the diameter of the first wafer, and comprises a cutting stage on which the workpiece is placed with the sheet facing down, a camera positioned above the cutting stage capable of imaging the outer circumference of the first wafer and the outer circumference of the second wafer of the workpiece placed on the cutting stage, a cutting mechanism for cutting the sheet in a circular shape, and a control unit, wherein the cutting mechanism comprises a blade for cutting the sheet, an arm extending horizontally with the blade positioned at its tip, and a lead connected to the rear end of the arm. The cutting stage comprises a rotating shaft having a rotation axis extending in the perpendicular direction, a motor that rotates the rotating shaft to pivot the arm, and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the blade and the cutting stage so that they move closer together or further apart, wherein a third gap, which is the gap between the cutting stage and the camera, is set so that the pivoting arm can pass through, and the control unit, when the rotating shaft is rotating with no workpiece placed on the cutting stage, captures an image of the tip of the pivoting arm with the camera and acquires an image, and a fourth determination unit that determines, based on this image, whether the length of the arm corresponds to the first wafer, whether the length of the arm corresponds to the second wafer, or whether the length of the arm does not correspond to either the first or second wafer.

[0011] Furthermore, the second cutting device may be equipped with an extension / retraction mechanism for extending and retracting the arm, and the control unit may extend or retract the arm to a length corresponding to the radius of the circular wafer. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In the first cutting apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to easily determine whether the length of the rotating arm corresponds to the first wafer or the second wafer based on whether or not the rotating arm blocks the first light from the first sensor and the second light from the second sensor. Furthermore, in the second cutting apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to easily confirm whether the length of the arm corresponds to the first wafer or the second wafer by using an image obtained by capturing the tip of the rotating arm with a camera. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of a protective member forming apparatus. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the workpiece. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the cutting device. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing other components of the cutting device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The protective member forming apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1 is an apparatus for forming a workpiece including a wafer 10 and a protective member by forming a protective member consisting of a resin and a sheet formed by spreading and curing a liquid resin over the entire surface of one side of the wafer 10.

[0015] Wafer 10 is, for example, a disc-shaped silicon azu slice wafer. Wafer 10 is formed, for example, in a disc shape and has a front surface 11 and a back surface 12. The back surface 12 and the front surface 11 of wafer 10 correspond to examples of one side and the other side of wafer 10, respectively.

[0016] In addition, in this embodiment, the protection member forming apparatus 1 forms a protection member on either at least two types of wafers 10 having different diameters. Therefore, hereinafter, the wafer 10 having a relatively small diameter is referred to as the first wafer 10a, while the wafer 10 having a relatively large diameter is referred to as the second wafer 10b. That is, at least two types of wafers 10 having different diameters include the first wafer 10a and the second wafer 10b having a diameter larger than the diameter of the first wafer 10a. When the first wafer 10a and the second wafer 10b are not distinguished, they are collectively referred to as the wafer 10.

[0017] The protection member forming apparatus 1 includes a housing 200, a device base 201 disposed in the housing 200, a column 202 erected on the device base 201, a support base 203 disposed adjacent to the device base 201, a table base 204 also disposed adjacent to the device base 201, and a cassette housing body 用205 connected to the rear end side of the housing 200.

[0018] The cassette housing body 205 has two accommodation spaces 206 and 207 in the left - right direction. In the accommodation space 206, a cassette 208 in which a plurality of wafers 10 before the formation of the protection member are accommodated is disposed. In the accommodation space 207, a cassette 209 in which a workpiece, which is a wafer 10 on which the protection member has been formed, is accommodated is disposed.

[0019] On the table base 204 on the - Y direction side of the cassette housing body 205, a temporary placement mechanism 7 and a cutting device 8 located below the temporary placement mechanism 7 are disposed. The temporary placement mechanism 7 detects the central position of the wafer 10. The cutting device 8 cuts off the extra portion of the sheet in the workpiece along the outer shape of the wafer 10.

[0020] A first transfer mechanism 4 is disposed between the cassette storage body 205 and the temporary placement mechanism 7. The first transfer mechanism 4 has a first robot hand 14 capable of holding the wafer 10, and carries out the unloading and loading of the wafer 10 with respect to the cassettes 208 and 209. That is, the first transfer mechanism 4 unloads the wafer 10 before the protective member is formed from the cassette 208 and loads it into the temporary placement mechanism 7. Further, the first transfer mechanism 4 unloads the workpiece, which is the wafer 10 with the protective member formed thereon, from the cutting device 8 and loads it into the cassette 209.

[0021] A second transfer mechanism 5 is arranged on the -Y direction side of the first transfer mechanism 4. The second transfer mechanism 5 has a second robot hand 15 capable of holding the wafer 10, and recovers the workpiece, which is the wafer 10 with the protective member formed thereon, and loads it into the cutting device 8. Further, the second transfer mechanism 5 unloads the wafer 10 from the temporary placement mechanism 7 and delivers it to the holding table 52 of the wafer holding mechanism 50.

[0022] The device base 201 is provided with a sheet supply mechanism 16 having a roll portion 17 including a sheet S wound in a roll shape, a sheet holding mechanism 18 including a glass table 19 for holding the sheet S, and a sheet placement mechanism 30.

[0023] The sheet placement mechanism 30 positions the sheet S having an area larger than the area of the back surface 12, which is one surface of the wafer 10, on the back surface 12 of the wafer 10. The sheet placement mechanism 30 has a frame-shaped support member 31, an air vent roller 35 attached to the support member 31, a sheet gripping portion 32 attached to the support member 31, and a moving member 33 for moving the support member 31 along the Y-axis direction.

[0024] In the sheet placement mechanism 30, the sheet S wound on the roll section 17 is grasped by the sheet gripping section 32 and pulled in the +Y direction by the moving member 33 to position it on the glass table 19. Then, the air between the sheet S and the glass table 19 is expelled by the air venting roller 35, and the sheet S is cut to a predetermined size. After cutting, the sheet S has an area larger than the area of ​​the back surface 12 of the wafer 10.

[0025] As a result, the sheet placement mechanism 30 can place the sheet S on the glass table 19 of the sheet holding mechanism 18. The glass table 19 then holds the placed sheet S by suction.

[0026] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, a liquid resin supply unit 40 for supplying liquid resin onto the sheet S is provided near the glass table 19. The liquid resin supply unit 40 includes a liquid resin supply nozzle 41 for supplying liquid resin to the sheet S, and a dispenser 42 for dispensing a predetermined amount of liquid resin to the liquid resin supply nozzle 41. The liquid resin supply nozzle 41 is connected to the dispenser 42 by a connecting pipe (not shown).

[0027] In this embodiment, the liquid resin supply nozzle 41 is provided on the support member 31 of the sheet placement mechanism 30 and moves in the Y-axis direction together with the support member 31. The liquid resin supply unit 40 supplies liquid resin to the center of the upper surface of the sheet S held on the glass table 19 using this liquid resin supply nozzle 41.

[0028] In this embodiment, the liquid resin is, for example, an ultraviolet-curable resin used to form a protective member that protects the entire surface 11 of the wafer 10. In forming the protective member, the back surface 12 of the wafer 10 is pressed against the liquid resin supplied onto the sheet S placed on the glass table 19 from above, spreading the liquid resin over the entire surface 12 and curing the liquid resin.

[0029] On the -Y direction side of column 202, there is a wafer holding mechanism 50 for holding the wafer 10 received from the second transport mechanism 5, and a lifting mechanism 60 for raising and lowering the wafer holding mechanism 50.

[0030] The wafer holding mechanism 50 includes a support structure 51 attached to the lifting mechanism 60, and a holding table 52 attached to the support structure 51. The support structure 51 is attached to the lifting mechanism 60 while supporting the holding table 52, and moves in the Z-axis direction by the lifting mechanism 60.

[0031] The holding table 52 of the wafer holding mechanism 50 has a wafer holding surface 53 that is positioned opposite the glass table 19. The wafer holding surface 53 is made of, for example, a porous material. In the holding table 52, by connecting this wafer holding surface 53 to a suction source (not shown), the wafer holding surface 53 can suction and hold the other surface 11 of the wafer 10.

[0032] The lifting mechanism 60 shown in Figure 1 raises and lowers the holding table 52. Specifically, the lifting mechanism 60 moves the wafer holding mechanism 50, including the holding table 52, closer to the glass table 19 along the Z-axis direction, thereby spreading the liquid resin supplied onto the sheet S held on the glass table 19 over the entire surface of the back surface 12 of the wafer 10 held on the holding table 52.

[0033] The lifting mechanism 60 comprises a ball screw 61 extending in the Z-axis direction, a motor 62 connected to one end of the ball screw 61, a pair of guide rails 63 extending parallel to the ball screw 61, and a lifting plate 64 to which the wafer holding mechanism 50 is attached. The lifting plate 64 is slidably installed relative to the pair of guide rails 63. A nut portion (not shown) is formed on the lifting plate 64. The ball screw 61 is screwed into this nut portion.

[0034] In the lifting mechanism 60, the motor 62 rotates the ball screw 61, causing the lifting plate 64 to move along a pair of guide rails 63 in the Z-axis direction together with the wafer holding mechanism 50. This allows the lifting mechanism 60 to raise and lower the wafer holding mechanism 50 along the Z-axis direction, which is substantially perpendicular to the glass table 19. In this way, the lifting mechanism 60 can spread the liquid resin accumulated on the glass table 19 over the entire surface of the back surface 12 of the wafer 10.

[0035] Furthermore, the sheet holding mechanism 18 has a curing mechanism located below the glass table 19 for curing the liquid resin spread over the entire surface of the back surface 12 of the wafer 10. In this embodiment, the curing mechanism includes an ultraviolet irradiation unit (not shown) for irradiating the liquid resin with ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet irradiation unit cures the liquid resin by irradiating it with ultraviolet light via the glass table 19.

[0036] In this way, the protective member forming apparatus 1 forms a protective member 104, which includes a cured resin 105 and a sheet S, on the back surface 12 of the wafer 10, as shown in Figure 2. This makes it possible to form a circular workpiece 110 including the wafer 10 and the protective member 104. Thus, in this embodiment, the workpiece 110 is formed by attaching a sheet S with an area larger than the area of ​​the back surface 12, which is one side of the wafer 10, to one of two types of wafers 100 (first wafer 10a and second wafer 10b) with at least two different diameters. The workpiece 110 is collected by the second transport mechanism 5 shown in Figure 1 and transported to the cutting apparatus 8. The cutting apparatus 8 cuts off the excess portion of the sheet S along the outer shape of the wafer 10 of the transported workpiece 110. After that, the workpiece 110 is transported out of the cutting apparatus 8 by the first transport mechanism 4 and transported to the cassette 209.

[0037] Furthermore, the protective member forming apparatus 1 is equipped with a touch panel 9 on the side of, for example, the cassette housing body 205. Various information related to the protective member forming apparatus 1 is displayed on the touch panel 9. The touch panel 9 is also used to set various information. Thus, the touch panel 9 functions as both an input member for inputting information and a display member for displaying information.

[0038] Here, we will describe the configuration of the temporary storage mechanism 7 and the cutting device 8. The temporary placement mechanism 7 is a device for holding the wafer 10 and for detecting the center position of the held wafer 10. As shown in Figure 3, a support column 70 is erected on the table base 204 in the Z-axis direction, and the temporary placement mechanism 7 is installed on this support column 70. Specifically, the temporary placement mechanism 7 has a table support member 71 that extends in the -X direction from the upper end of the support column 70, and a temporary placement table 72 supported by this table support member 71.

[0039] The temporary storage table 72 is positioned on a guide groove 711 extending in the X-axis direction, which is provided on the upper surface of the table support member 71, and has a holding surface 721 for suction holding the wafer 10. The wafer 10, before the protective member is formed, is placed on the temporary storage table 72 by the first transport mechanism 4 (see Figure 1). The temporary storage table 72 is then capable of suction holding the placed wafer 10 by the holding surface 721, which is connected to a suction source (not shown).

[0040] Furthermore, the table support member 71 supporting the temporary storage table 72, and the cutting mechanism support member 81 located below the table support member 71, have a width narrower than the openings of the first robot hand 14 of the first transport mechanism 4 and the second robot hand 15 of the second transport mechanism 5, and can pass through these openings. Therefore, the first transport mechanism 4 and the second transport mechanism 5 can easily transport the wafer 10 to the temporary storage table 72.

[0041] Furthermore, the temporary storage mechanism 7 includes a temporary storage table rotation mechanism 73, which has a spindle and a motor, located below the temporary storage table 72 within the table support member 71. This temporary storage table rotation mechanism 73 is connected to the lower surface of the temporary storage table 72 via a guide groove 711 of the table support member 71. The temporary storage table rotation mechanism 73 can rotate the temporary storage table 72, which holds the wafer 10, around a rotation axis that passes through the center of the holding surface 721.

[0042] Furthermore, the temporary placement mechanism 7 has a temporary placement table moving mechanism 74 within the table support member 71, which is connected to the temporary placement table rotation mechanism 73. The temporary placement table moving mechanism 74 can move the temporary placement table rotation mechanism 73 and the temporary placement table 72 connected to the temporary placement table rotation mechanism 73 along the guide groove 711 in the X-axis direction, as indicated by the arrow 501.

[0043] Furthermore, the temporary storage mechanism 7 has an imaging device 75 on the base end side of the table support member 71 that images the outer edge of the wafer 10 held on the temporary storage table 72 from above. Based on the image of the wafer 10 captured by the imaging device 75, the temporary storage mechanism 7 can detect the center position of the wafer 10. Once the center position of the wafer 10 has been detected, it is transferred to the holding table 52 of the wafer holding mechanism 50 by the second transport mechanism 5 shown in Figure 1.

[0044] The cutting device 8 is positioned below the temporary storage mechanism 7. The workpiece 110, including the wafer 10 and the protective member 104, is fed into the cutting device 8 by the second transport mechanism 5. As described above, the protective member 104 includes a hardened resin 105 and a sheet S that is larger than the wafer 10. The cutting device 8 cuts the sheet S of the workpiece 110 in a circular shape along the outer circumference of the wafer 10.

[0045] As shown in Figure 3, the cutting device 8 has a circular cutting stage 82 formed on the upper surface of the table base 204 and a cover portion 83 surrounding the cutting stage 82. The cover portion 83 is the upper surface of the table base 204.

[0046] The cutting stage 82 is the part on which the workpiece 110 is placed by the second transport mechanism 5. The workpiece 110 is placed on the cutting stage 82 with the sheet S facing downwards. For example, a suction hole connected to a suction source is formed in the center of the cutting stage 82 (neither shown), and the cutting stage 82 can hold the workpiece 110 by suction through this suction hole.

[0047] Furthermore, the cutting device 8 includes a first relief groove 84 disposed within the cutting stage 82, and a second relief groove 85 disposed between the cutting stage 82 and the cover portion 83.

[0048] The first relief groove 84 and the second relief groove 85 are formed in a bottomed groove shape and are provided concentrically with the outer edge of the cut stage 82. The first relief groove 84 is set to be slightly larger than that of the first wafer 10a, which has a relatively small diameter. Similarly, the diameter of the second relief groove 85 is set to be slightly larger than that of the second wafer 10b, which has a relatively large diameter.

[0049] Furthermore, the cutting device 8 has a cutting mechanism support member 81 provided on the support column 70. The cutting mechanism support member 81 extends below the table support member 71 of the temporary placement mechanism 7, substantially parallel to the table support member 71, along the X-axis direction. The cutting device 8 is equipped with a cutting mechanism 90 on this cutting mechanism support member 81 for cutting the sheet S of the workpiece 110 into a circular shape.

[0050] The cutting mechanism 90 includes a blade 91 for cutting the sheet S, an arm 92 supporting the blade 91, a rotating shaft 93 connected to the rear end of the arm 92, a motor 94 for rotating the rotating shaft 93, a lifting mechanism 95 for raising and lowering the rotating shaft 93, and a telescopic mechanism 96 for extending and retracting the arm 92.

[0051] The lifting mechanism 95 supports the rotating shaft 93 and is provided on the lower surface of the tip of the cutting mechanism support member 81 so as to be able to rotate together with the rotating shaft 93. The lifting mechanism 95 is configured to raise and lower the rotating shaft 93 relative to the cutting stage 82 by extending and retracting, for example, in the Z-axis direction. An arm 92 with a blade 91 at its tip is connected to this rotating shaft 93. Therefore, the lifting mechanism 95 can raise and lower the blade 91 and the cutting stage 82 so as to move them closer together or further apart.

[0052] The rotating shaft 93 is supported by the lifting mechanism 95 so as to be positioned above the center of the cutting stage 82. The rotating shaft 93 is connected to the rear end of the arm 92 and has a rotation axis 931 that passes through the center of the cutting stage 82 and extends in the vertical Z-axis direction. By rotating the rotating shaft 93 together with the lifting mechanism 95 around this rotation axis 931, the arm 92 can be rotated.

[0053] The motor 94 is located on the upper surface of the cutting mechanism support member 81 and is connected to the lifting mechanism 95. The motor 94 rotates the rotating shaft 93 together with the lifting mechanism 95, thereby causing the arm 92 connected to the rotating shaft 93 to pivot.

[0054] The arm 92 extends horizontally from the rotating shaft 93, and a blade 91 is positioned at its tip. More specifically, the arm 92 has a holding member 921 at its tip that holds the blade 91 and is movable horizontally. The holding member 921 is, for example, a piston rod that is movable horizontally within the arm 92 and holds the blade 91 at its tip. The arm 92 can extend and retract horizontally as the holding member 921 moves.

[0055] Furthermore, the arm 92 has an extension / retraction mechanism 96 inside which the arm 92 is extended or retracted by moving the holding member 921 horizontally. The extension / retraction mechanism 96 can adjust the length of the arm 92 by adjusting the horizontal position of the holding member 921 that holds the blade 91. In this way, the extension / retraction mechanism 96 can set the horizontal position of the blade 91 to face either the second relief groove 85 or the first relief groove 84. In this embodiment, the length of the arm 92 refers, for example, to the horizontal length from the rotation axis 931 of the rotating shaft 93, which is the rotation center of the arm 92, to the blade 91.

[0056] The blade 91 is used to cut the sheet S of the workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82. In the cutting mechanism 90, with the workpiece 110 having the sheet S placed on the cutting stage 82, the horizontal position and height of the blade 91 are adjusted by the telescopic mechanism 96 and the lifting mechanism 95, and further, the arm 92 holding the blade 91 is rotated by the motor 94, thereby rotating the blade 91 along the first relief groove 84 (or second relief groove 85) and cutting the sheet S to a size corresponding to the first relief groove 84 (or second relief groove 85).

[0057] Furthermore, the cutting device 8 has a sensor support member 97 near the cutting stage 82. The sensor support member 97 has a sensor support column 99 extending in the Z-axis direction on the upper surface of the table base 204, and a sensor support arm 98 provided at the tip of the sensor support column 99. This sensor support arm 98 extends horizontally from the outside of the cutting stage 82 toward the center.

[0058] The cutting device 8 has a first sensor 120 and a second sensor 130 on the sensor support member 97 and the cutting stage 82 for detecting the length of the arm 92.

[0059] The first sensor 120 is a sensor capable of detecting the outer periphery of the first wafer 10a when the workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82 has a first wafer 10a. The first sensor 120 has a first light receiving unit 122 and a first light emitting unit 121.

[0060] The first light-receiving unit 122 is located near the inside of the first relief groove 84 of the cut stage 82, which is set to be slightly larger than the outer circumference of the first wafer 10a. The first light-emitting unit 121 is located on the sensor support arm 98 of the sensor support member 97, facing the first light-receiving unit 122. That is, the first light-emitting unit 121 and the first light-receiving unit 122 are positioned vertically apart with a gap (first gap) between them, at a position corresponding to the outer circumference of the first wafer 10a. The first light-emitting unit 121 is configured to emit a first light, which is measurement light, while the first light-receiving unit 122 is configured to receive the first light from the first light-emitting unit 121.

[0061] In the first sensor 120 having such a configuration, when the workpiece 110 including the first wafer 10a is placed on the cutting stage 82, the first light receiving unit 122 is blocked by the outer circumference of the first wafer 10a, so the first light receiving unit 122 no longer receives the first light from the first light transmitting unit 121.

[0062] Thus, the first sensor 120 includes a first light-emitting unit 121 that emits first light and a first light-receiving unit 122 that receives first light, which are arranged vertically spaced apart with a first gap so as to be able to detect the outer circumference of the first wafer 10a of the workpiece 110 placed on the cut stage 82.

[0063] The second sensor 130 is a sensor capable of detecting the outer periphery of the second wafer 10b when the workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82 has a second wafer 10b. The second sensor 130 has a second light receiving unit 132 and a second light emitting unit 131.

[0064] The second light-receiving unit 132 is located near the inside of the second relief groove 85 of the cut stage 82, which is set to be slightly larger than the outer circumference of the second wafer 10b. The second light-emitting unit 131 is located on the sensor support arm 98 of the sensor support member 97, facing the second light-receiving unit 132. That is, the second light-emitting unit 131 and the second light-receiving unit 132 are positioned vertically separated from each other at a position corresponding to the outer circumference of the second wafer 10b, with a gap (second gap) between them. Furthermore, the second light-emitting unit 131 is configured to emit a second light, which is measurement light, while the second light-receiving unit 132 is configured to receive the second light from the second light-emitting unit 131.

[0065] In the second sensor 130 having such a configuration, when the workpiece 110 including the second wafer 10b is placed on the cutting stage 82, the second light receiving unit 132 is blocked by the outer circumference of the second wafer 10b, so the second light receiving unit 132 no longer receives the second light from the second light emitting unit 131.

[0066] Thus, the second sensor 130 includes a second light-emitting unit 131 that emits second light and a second light-receiving unit 132 that receives second light, which are arranged vertically spaced apart with a second gap between them, so as to be able to detect the outer periphery of the second wafer 10b of the workpiece 110 placed on the cut stage 82.

[0067] Furthermore, the first gap, which is the gap between the first light-emitting unit 121 and the first light-receiving unit 122 of the first sensor 120, and the second gap, which is the gap between the second light-emitting unit 131 and the second light-receiving unit 132 of the second sensor 130, are set to allow the rotating arm 92 of the cutting mechanism 90 to pass through. In other words, the first gap and the second gap are provided within the rotation range of the arm 92 and are large enough for the rotating arm 92 to pass through. In this embodiment, the first gap and the second gap are the same because they are the gaps between the sensor support arm 98 of the sensor support member 97 and the cutting stage 82. However, the first gap and the second gap may be set to different sizes.

[0068] Furthermore, the cutting device 8 is equipped with a control unit 20 that controls each component of the cutting device 8. The control unit 20 is equipped with a CPU that performs calculation processing according to a control program, and a storage medium such as memory. The control unit 20 is equipped with a first determination unit 21, a second determination unit 22, a third determination unit 23, and a fourth determination unit 24, which are used to perform an arm length detection operation to detect the length of the arm 92 of the cutting mechanism 90.

[0069] The arm length detection operation in the cutting device 8 is described below. In this arm length detection operation, it is determined whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b. This arm length detection operation is performed, for example, before the protective member 104 is formed on the wafer 10.

[0070] Prior to this arm length detection operation, the control unit 20 has previously obtained from the operator via the touch panel 9 the type of wafer 10 to be processed for forming the protective member 104, that is, whether it is the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b.

[0071] In the arm length detection operation, first, the control unit 20 controls the motor 94 to rotate the rotating shaft 93 while the workpiece 110 is not placed on the cutting stage 82, thereby causing the arm 92 to pivot. At this time, the control unit 20 controls the lifting mechanism 95 as needed to position the arm 92 at a height that allows the pivoting arm 92 to pass through the first gap of the first sensor 120 and the second gap of the second sensor 130.

[0072] Then, with the arm 92 rotating in this manner, the first determination unit 21, the second determination unit 22, and the third determination unit 23 of the control unit 20 detect the light reception state of the first light receiving unit 122 of the first sensor 120 and the second light receiving unit 132 of the second sensor 130, and recognize whether the first light emitted from the first light emitting unit 121 of the first sensor 120 to the first light receiving unit 122, and the second light emitted from the second light emitting unit 131 of the second sensor 130 to the second light receiving unit 132 are blocked by the arm 92.

[0073] In other words, when the rotating shaft 93 is rotating with no workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82, if the swiveling arm 92 blocks the first light emitted from the first light-emitting unit 121 of the first sensor 120 to the first light-receiving unit 122, but does not block the second light emitted from the second light-emitting unit 131 of the second sensor 130 to the second light-receiving unit 132, then the first determination unit 21 of the control unit 20 determines that the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the first wafer 10a, that is, the blade 91 at the tip of the arm 92 faces the first relief groove 84.

[0074] Furthermore, when the rotating shaft 93 is rotating while no workpiece 110 is placed on the cutting stage 82, if the swiveling arm 92 blocks the first light from the first sensor 120 and also blocks the second light from the second sensor 130, the second determination unit 22 of the control unit 20 determines that the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the second wafer 10b, that is, the blade 91 at the tip of the arm 92 is facing the second relief groove 85.

[0075] Furthermore, when the rotating shaft 93 is rotating without a workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82, and the swiveling arm 92 does not block the first light from the first sensor 120, nor does it block the second light from the second sensor 130, the third determination unit 23 of the control unit 20 determines that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to either the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b, that is, the blade 91 at the tip of the arm 92 does not face either the first relief groove 84 or the second relief groove 85. This includes, for example, cases where the attached arm 92 is too short, and cases where the arm 92 is not attached to the cutting mechanism 90.

[0076] As described above, the control unit 20 has previously acquired the type of wafer 10 to be processed (first wafer 10a or second wafer 10b). Based on the judgment results of the first judgment unit 21, the second judgment unit 22, and the third judgment unit 23, the control unit 20 determines whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the wafer 10 to be processed. If the control unit 20 determines that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed, it controls the touch panel 9 to generate an alarm to notify the operator that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed.

[0077] As described above, in this embodiment, it is possible to easily determine whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b, and whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the wafer 10 to be processed, based on whether the rotating arm 92 blocks the first light from the first sensor 120 and the second light from the second sensor 130.

[0078] Furthermore, if the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed, the control unit 20 notifies the operator accordingly. Therefore, the operator can recognize that the length of the arm 92 is inappropriate before forming the protective member and, for example, adjust the length of the arm 92 appropriately.

[0079] If the length of the arm 92 determined by the first determination unit 21, the second determination unit 22, and the third determination unit 23 does not correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed, the control unit 20 may, instead of or in addition to generating an alarm using the touch panel 9 as described above, control the extension / retraction mechanism 96 of the cutting mechanism 90 to adjust the length of the arm 92 to correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed. In this case, for example, the control unit 20 may use the extension / retraction mechanism 96 to extend or retract the arm 92 to a length corresponding to the radius of the wafer 10 to be processed.

[0080] Specifically, for example, when the wafer 10 to be processed is the first wafer 10a, the control unit 20 adjusts the length of the arm 92 so that the blade 91 faces the first relief groove 84. On the other hand, when the wafer 10 to be processed is the second wafer 10b, the control unit 20 adjusts the length of the arm 92 so that the blade 91 faces the second relief groove 85. This makes it possible to appropriately change the position of the blade 91 to correspond to the radius of the wafer 10.

[0081] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the cutting device 8 may have an imaging mechanism 140 near the cutting stage 82 instead of the first sensor 120 and the second sensor 130.

[0082] The imaging mechanism 140 includes a camera support column 141 extending in the Z-axis direction on the upper surface of the table base 204, a camera support arm 142 extending horizontally from the tip of the camera support column 141 toward the center of the cut stage 82, and a camera 143 mounted facing downward at the tip of the camera support arm 142.

[0083] The camera 143 is supported by a camera support column 141 and a camera support arm 142 such that the outer periphery of either the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b, which are included in the workpiece 110 placed on the cut stage 82, is within the imaging range. In other words, the camera 143 is positioned above the cut stage 82 so that it can image the outer periphery of the first wafer 10a and the outer periphery of the second wafer 10b of the workpiece 110 placed on the cut stage 82. Therefore, the camera 143 can simultaneously image the first relief groove 84 corresponding to the outer periphery of the first wafer 10a and the second relief groove 85 corresponding to the outer periphery of the second wafer 10b.

[0084] As mentioned above, it is possible to position the camera 143 opposite the first relief groove 84 and the second relief groove 85. Therefore, in this embodiment, the camera 143 can also image the tip of the rotating arm 92.

[0085] Furthermore, the camera 143 is positioned such that a gap (a third gap) is provided between the cut stage 82 and the camera 143. This third gap is set so that the rotating arm 92 can pass through it. In other words, the third gap is provided within the rotation range of the arm 92 and is large enough for the rotating arm 92 to pass through.

[0086] In a cutting device 8 having such a configuration, the arm length detection operation is performed as follows. First, the control unit 20 controls the motor 94 to rotate the rotating shaft 93 while the workpiece 110 is not placed on the cutting stage 82, thereby rotating the arm 92. At this time, the control unit 20 controls the lifting mechanism 95 as needed to position the arm 92 at a height that allows the rotating arm 92 to pass through the third gap between the cutting stage 82 and the camera 143.

[0087] When the rotating shaft 93 is rotating with no workpiece 110 placed on the cutting stage 82, the fourth determination unit 24 uses the camera 143 of the imaging mechanism 140 to image the tip of the rotating arm 92 and acquire an image. Based on this image, the fourth determination unit 24 acquires the length of the arm 92 and determines whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the first wafer 10a, the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the second wafer 10b, or whether the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to either the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b.

[0088] For example, the fourth determination unit 24 determines that the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the first wafer 10a when it recognizes, based on the image, that the blade 91 at the tip of the arm 92 is facing the first relief groove 84. The fourth determination unit 24 also determines that the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the second wafer 10b when it recognizes that the blade 91 at the tip of the arm 92 is facing the second relief groove 85. Furthermore, the fourth determination unit 24 determines that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to either the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b when it recognizes that the blade 91 at the tip of the arm 92 is not facing either the first relief groove 84 or the second relief groove 85. The fourth determination unit 24 also determines that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to either the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b when it recognizes that the blade 91 at the tip of the arm 92 is not included in the image.

[0089] Then, if the length of the arm 92 determined by the fourth determination unit 24 does not correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed, the control unit 20 controls the touch panel 9 to generate an alarm to notify the operator that the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed.

[0090] In this configuration, by using the image obtained by imaging the tip of the rotating arm 92 with the camera 143, it is possible to easily confirm whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the first wafer 10a or the second wafer 10b, and whether the length of the arm 92 corresponds to the wafer 10 to be processed.

[0091] Furthermore, even in this configuration, if the length of the arm 92 does not correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed, the control unit 20 notifies the operator accordingly. Therefore, the operator can recognize that the length of the arm 92 is inappropriate before forming the protective member and, for example, adjust the length of the arm 92 appropriately.

[0092] Furthermore, in this configuration as well, if the length of the arm 92 determined by the fourth determination unit 24 does not correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed, the control unit 20 may, instead of or in addition to generating an alarm using the touch panel 9 as described above, control the extension / retraction mechanism 96 of the cutting mechanism 90 to adjust the length of the arm 92 to correspond to the wafer 10 to be processed. For example, the control unit 20 may use the extension / retraction mechanism 96 to extend or retract the arm 92 to a length corresponding to the radius of the wafer 10 to be processed.

[0093] Furthermore, the liquid resin supplied by the liquid resin supply unit 40 is not limited to ultraviolet-curing resins, but may also be thermosetting resins that harden when heat is applied. In this case, the sheet holding mechanism 18 is equipped with a heat supply unit having a heating mechanism such as a heater instead of an ultraviolet irradiation unit as a curing mechanism.

[0094] In this embodiment, the control unit 20 obtains the type (size) of the wafer 10 to be processed from the operator via the touch panel 9. In this regard, the control unit 20 may obtain the type of the wafer 10 to be processed based on the size or shape of the cassette 208 that houses the wafer 10 to be processed. Alternatively, the control unit 20 may detect the type of the wafer 10 to be processed by the temporary storage mechanism 7 in which the wafer 10 to be processed is temporarily placed.

[0095] Furthermore, if the type (size) of the wafer 10 to be processed is detected during the formation of the protective member, the holding table 52 of the wafer holding mechanism 50 shown in Figure 1 switches the area of ​​the suction surface (the part used to suck up the wafer 10) of the wafer holding surface 53 that holds the wafer 10, according to the type of wafer 10 to be processed. In addition, the liquid resin supply unit 40 that supplies liquid resin to the sheet S adjusts the amount of liquid resin supplied to the sheet S according to the type of wafer 10 to be processed.

[0096] Furthermore, the sheet S placed on the glass table 19 of the sheet holding mechanism 18 by the sheet placement mechanism 30 may have a size corresponding to a relatively large second wafer 10b, regardless of the type of wafer 10 to be processed. In this case, the sheet S is formed (cut) to be larger than the back surface 12, which is one side of the second wafer 10b. Therefore, if the wafer 10 to be processed is a relatively small first wafer 10a, the sheet S of the workpiece 110 is cut in a circular shape along the outer circumference of the first wafer 10a in the cutting device 8, resulting in a large amount of waste material in the sheet S. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0097] 1: Protective member forming device, 4: First conveying mechanism, 5: Second conveying mechanism, 7: Temporary storage mechanism, 8: Cutting device, 9: Touch panel, 10: Wafer, 11: Front side, 12: Back side, 14: First robot hand, 15: Second robot hand, 16: Sheet supply mechanism, 17: Roll section, 18: Sheet holding mechanism, 19: Glass table, 20: Control unit, 21: first judgment section, 22: second judgment section, 23: third judgment section, 24: fourth judgment section, 30: Sheet placement mechanism, 31: Support member, 32: Sheet gripping part, 33: Moving member, 35: Air vent roller, 40: Liquid resin supply unit, 41: Liquid resin supply nozzle, 42: Dispenser, 50: Wafer holding mechanism, 51: Support structure, 52: Holding table, 53: Wafer holding surface, 60: Lifting mechanism, 61: Ball screw, 62: Motor, 63: Guide rail, 64: Lifting plate, 70: Support column, 71: Table support member, 72: Temporary placement table, 73: Temporary placement table rotation mechanism, 74: Temporary placement table moving mechanism, 75: Imaging device, 81: Cutting mechanism support member, 82: Cutting stage, 83: Cover section, 84: First relief groove, 85: Second relief groove, 90: Cutting mechanism, 91: Blade, 92: Arm, 93: Rotating shaft, 94: Motor, 95: Lifting mechanism, 96: Telescopic mechanism, 97: Sensor support member, 98: Sensor support arm, 99: Sensor support column, 100: wafer, 10a: first wafer, 10b: second wafer, 104: protective member, 110: Workpiece, 120: First sensor, 121: First light emitter, 122: First light receiver 130: Second sensor, 131: Second light emitter, 132: Second light receiver, 140: Imaging mechanism, 141: Camera support column, 142: Camera support arm, 143: Camera, 200: Housing, 201: Device base, 202: Column, 203: Support base, 204: Table base, 205: Cassette storage unit, 206: Storage space, 207: Storage space, 208: Cassette, 209: Cassette, 711: Guide groove, 721: Retaining surface, 921: Holding member, 931: Rotating shaft, S: Sheet

Claims

1. A cutting device for cutting a sheet in a circular shape along the outer circumference of a wafer, in which a sheet with an area larger than the area of ​​one side of a wafer is attached to one of two wafers of at least different diameters, The two wafers with at least different diameters include a first wafer and a second wafer having a diameter larger than the diameter of the first wafer. A cutting stage on which the workpiece is placed with the sheet facing downwards, A first sensor comprising a first light-emitting unit that emits first light and a first light-receiving unit that receives the first light, arranged vertically spaced apart with a first gap so as to be able to detect the outer periphery of the first wafer of the workpiece placed on the cutting stage, A second sensor comprising a second light-emitting unit that emits a second light and a second light-receiving unit that receives the second light, arranged vertically spaced apart with a second gap so as to be able to detect the outer periphery of the second wafer of the workpiece placed on the cutting stage, A cutting mechanism for cutting the sheet into a circular shape, It includes a control unit, The cutting mechanism is, The device comprises a blade for cutting the sheet, an arm extending horizontally with the blade positioned at its tip, a rotating shaft connected to the rear end of the arm and having a rotation axis extending vertically, a motor that rotates the arm by rotating the rotating shaft, and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the blade and the cutting stage so that they move closer together or further apart. The first gap of the first sensor and the second gap of the second sensor are set to allow the rotating arm to pass through. The control unit is A first determination unit determines that the length of the arm corresponds to the first wafer when the rotating shaft is rotating with no workpiece placed on the cutting stage, and the rotating arm blocks the first light of the first sensor but does not block the second light of the second sensor. When the rotating shaft is rotating with no workpiece placed on the cutting stage, and the rotating arm blocks the first light of the first sensor and also blocks the second light of the second sensor, the second determination unit determines that the length of the arm corresponds to the second wafer. A cutting apparatus comprising: a third determination unit that, when the rotating shaft is being rotated with no workpiece placed on the cutting stage, determines that the length of the arm does not correspond to either the first wafer or the second wafer when the rotating arm does not block the first light of the first sensor and also does not block the second light of the second sensor.

2. The arm is equipped with an extendable mechanism, The control unit extends and retracts the arm to a length corresponding to the radius of the circular wafer. The cutting device according to claim 1.

3. A cutting device for cutting a sheet in a circular shape along the outer circumference of a wafer, in which a sheet with an area larger than the area of ​​one side of a wafer is attached to one of two wafers of at least different diameters, The two wafers with at least different diameters include a first wafer and a second wafer having a diameter larger than the diameter of the first wafer. A cutting stage on which the workpiece is placed with the sheet facing downwards, A camera positioned above the cutting stage is capable of imaging the outer periphery of the first wafer and the outer periphery of the second wafer of the workpiece placed on the cutting stage. A cutting mechanism for cutting the sheet into a circular shape, It includes a control unit, The cutting mechanism is, The device comprises a blade for cutting the sheet, an arm extending horizontally with the blade positioned at its tip, a rotating shaft connected to the rear end of the arm and having a rotation axis extending vertically, a motor that rotates the arm by rotating the rotating shaft, and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the blade and the cutting stage so that they move closer together or further apart. The third gap, which is the gap between the cutting stage and the camera, is set so that the rotating arm can pass through it. The control unit is When the rotating shaft is rotating with no workpiece placed on the cutting stage, the camera captures an image of the tip of the rotating arm and acquires an image, and a fourth determination unit is provided to determine, based on this image, whether the length of the arm corresponds to the first wafer, whether the length of the arm corresponds to the second wafer, or whether the length of the arm does not correspond to either the first or second wafer. Cutting device.

4. The arm is equipped with an extendable mechanism, The control unit extends and retracts the arm to a length corresponding to the radius of the circular wafer. The cutting apparatus according to claim 3.

Images